RECOVERY
by NiteJasmine
Summary: Horatio gets hurt by some nasty bad guys, but his team rescues him. And Calleigh has her own ideas about how to comfort him... and protect him! H/Cal romance. Rated M for some language, violence and later explicit stuff...
1. Chapter 1

**RECOVERY**

**A CSI Miami FanFic**

**By NiteJasmine**

**Horatio gets hurt by some nasty bad guys, but his team saves him, and Calleigh has her own ideas of how to comfort him… Headed towards being a Horatio/Calleigh romance.**

**Rated M for graphic violence and future chapters of explicit content… **

**I don't own any characters from CSI Miami, I just borrow them on occasion…**

Horatio was shoved roughly along by his two captors, an old enemy by the name of Antonio Cruz, and another large bear of a man whose name he didn't know. They stopped in a large room at the back of an old warehouse.

Cruz turned and stood in front of Horatio, the gun he was holding steadily aimed at Horatio's chest. "Take off your jacket and your shirt," he ordered. The Lieutenant didn't move.

"Now!" He demanded, the sound of his booming voice echoing across the huge metal walls.

Horatio merely glared at him.

"If you're going to kill me Cruz," Horatio snarled, "then just do it. Right here, right now. You are already going back to prison for kidnapping and assaulting a police officer. So either pull the trigger, or give up. You are not going to get any twisted satisfaction from me."

The malicious grin that spread across his captor's face was insanely unnerving, but Horatio didn't flinch when Cruz walked over and stood within inches of Horatio's face.

"You see, Lieutenant Caine, that's where you are very, very wrong," he sneered. "I am definitely going to kill you, but I decide when and where. And as far as assault," he paused and chuckled softly, "I'm just getting warmed up. And I am going to get a great deal of satisfaction from you before you die."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small syringe. Flipping the cap off of the needle, he added, "By tonight, if you survive that long, you will be begging me to kill you."

Then a command to the big man standing behind Horatio, "Hold him."

Horatio struggled against the large man's iron bear hug, but the small needle was stuck into his neck in a flash, and within seconds the room was spinning and everything nearly faded to black. He was barely conscious as he felt his body slump into the arms of the grizzly bear holding him, and was only vaguely aware of his jacket and shirt being hastily removed.

Still struggling to maintain consciousness, Horatio was powerless to fight his captors. He was quickly hauled across the room. His wrists were wrapped heavily in rope, then attached to a large chain pulley hook hanging right in front of him. The chain was hauled upwards, stretching his body and his bare torso taut, pulling his arms up over his head until just the balls of his shoes were the only things barely touching the floor. His head lolled forward slightly and he grimaced as his wrists were suddenly asked to bear nearly the entire weight of his body.

"Wake up, Lieutenant," Cruz said in a rather singy-songy voice. There was another sharp sting on his neck and a new drug flashed through his system, this one instantly clearing the cobwebs away and snapping his brain back into full alert mode…. And beyond.

"Very good, yes," Cruz purred, "that's better. Much better." He twiddled the syringe in his fingers, still eyeing his captive. "That should keep you awake for a while."

Horatio's body was stretched to the point that it was difficult to get any large quantity of air into his lungs, and he struggled to try and get his breathing under control. He could feel his pulse rate quicken, and all his senses felt super sharp, every nerve ending beginning to tingle and hum like a high-tension wire.

Cruz stood there and watched him for a few minutes before a satisfied smile slowly came to his face. "Good, you're feeling it…"

Pleased that his captive was succumbing to the effects of the heightened sensitivity drug, Cruz went and got something from the corner of the room, and brought it back, showing it to Horatio like a proud father would show off a new son. It looked like the top half of a good fly-fishing rod. Maybe 6 feet long, slightly tapered, and about ½" thick. Small, long thin cords wrapped tightly together which made the whole thing very flexible, but strong too.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked proudly. "Hmm, no? Well, Let me tell you. It is a reed whip. It was used centuries ago for punishment in my country. Sadly, it was eventually considered to brutal and cruel, and was phased out of use. But I have studied the art, as has my good friend there, and I have hand-crafted this one just for you my dear Lieutenant."

He walked over and laid the whip in a long metal tub filled with water. Soaking the reeds not only kept the thin reed fibers flexible, it also added a healthy sting when contacting skin. Cruz could barely contain himself. He would finally have his revenge against the great Horatio Caine. Retribution was at hand. Since being sent to prison, his life had completely fallen apart, and he had lost everything. And all he had done was shoot a couple people for shortchanging him on a cocaine deal. It was just business. But Caine had made it his personal mission to put him away. Things had not gone well while he was inside, and his entire little empire had been reduced to nothing. Well, now it was time for the self-righteous cop to pay up. With his life. But first, Cruz was going to have some fun, and teach him a lesson. A serious lesson in pain.

He walked back over in front of his soon to be victim once more. "And now, it's time for _you_ to be punished. Time for you to pay for what you did to me, my family, my crew. You ruined my life. So I'm going to take yours. But first, you are going to learn what real pain is. And yes, I am going to immensely enjoy watching every single second of your misery."

He nodded to the big man, who went over and retrieved the whip from the water bath. Horatio heard a light swish and then a sharp crack, and felt a fiery explosion of intense pain.

The first blow landed squarely across his lower back, right above his belt. The force was nearly enough to knock him off his feet, and had his body not been suspended from above, he probably would have fallen over. The slender bundle of wet reeds didn't break the skin, but raised a bright crimson red welt across his back where it had struck. His captor then began a tortuously slow but steady rhythm, and every blow that landed was just as brutally forceful.

Cruz sat down on a chair across the room in front of him and lit a cigarette, and sat there smoking it, watching the beating with an evil gleam of pleasure in his eyes. The only sound in the room was the steady swish and crack of the reeds falling on his back over and over and over…

Horatio tried to stay silent, not to give them the satisfaction of hearing him vocalize his pain, and did so rather valiantly for quite a while. But a full 45 minutes later, his back was a crisscross of angry thick red welts and hot searing pain, heightened by the drug Cruz had given him, and Horatio couldn't keep quiet any longer. He never screamed, but the wicked wet reeds pulled tortured sounds of agony from him every time the hellacious weapon struck home. The reeds finally began cutting into his hyper-sensitive skin, drawing blood, and the big man's rhythm never faltered.

After another 30 minutes of sadistic assault, Horatio was at his limit. His lungs were screaming for air, his body begging for a halt to the torture. His pain threshold was off the chart, and Horatio felt himself slipping mercifully into the blackness of unconsciousness. His head fell forward and his body slumped as he let the darkness take him. The rope bonds holding him tightened slightly as his wrists bore the full weight of his sagging body.

Another blow fell across his battered back, but he did not respond.

"Stop, you idiot," Cruz snarled. "Don't waste your energy. Can't you see he's passed out?"

He crushed out his cigarette and reached for a small leather bag. Pulling out another small syringe, he headed for the motionless red-head. "Time to wake him up again," he said with a grin.

But he never got that far. The door behind him exploded inwards, and a small flood of heavily armed people poured through it. "Miami Dade PD! Freeze!"

Cruz spun around and pulled his 9mm from his waistband. But he wasn't anywhere near fast enough. He raised the weapon up, but never got to squeeze the trigger. Shots rang out and three holes appeared in the center of his chest. He fell backwards in a heap on the floor.

At the same time, the big man on the other side of the room had dropped the whip, pulled his own gun, and made the same fatal mistake. The room was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder. The SWAT team fanned out, methodically clearing the building, opening up the view of the room to Calleigh and Eric. Calleigh was the first one to see Horatio, and the sight stunned her, stopping her in her tracks. She felt a knot tighten up in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh my God," she breathed, then headed directly for the helpless figure dangling from the rafters.

"Jesus," Eric said, right on her heels.

She put a hand up to Horatio's face, then slid her fingers down to his neck, feeling for a pulse. She found it. "Strong pulse, he's just unconscious," she said, relieved.

Eric hollered for an ambulance.

"Let's get him down," he said.

"Gently," Calleigh answered.

The two CSIs cradled their boss in their arms as the chain was slackened, easing his body down to the floor.

"Eric, I've got him, get his jacket," Calleigh said, holding Horatio's limp body in her arms. She cradled his head with one arm, making sure he could breathe, but she didn't want to lay his badly injured back on the filthy warehouse floor. Eric looked around and quickly located and retrieved Horatio's tailored suit coat, spreading it out underneath him. Calleigh gently began to lower him onto the silk fabric, when he let out a sharp grunt of pain. His calm features twisted into a mask of agony as the bonds of unconsciousness began to lose their grip on him. He was waking up…

"Horatio," Calleigh called to him. "Horatio, can you hear me? It's Calleigh."

Horatio's breathing rate picked up drastically, and he groaned loudly. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to fade back into the black oblivion. He shifted slightly, causing a sharp stab of pain and he sucked in a breath of air with a hiss. _Pain… pain, pain, pain, pain…. _his mind was screaming, reeling with the sensory overload.

But then he heard her voice…

"Horatio," Calleigh called to him again, cupping one hand on his cheek. "You're safe, Horatio,"

He blinked his eyes open and looked up, and a wave of relief washed over him when he saw the lovely eyes of Calleigh Duquesne looking down at him, not the evil eyes of Antonio Cruz. But his back still felt like a block of molten lava laced with steel spikes, every nerve screaming for mercy, and it was threatening to drive every shred of sanity from him.

Unable to lie still, he shifted slightly, sending a fresh wave of overwhelming pain crashing through his body. He clenched his teeth and slammed his eyes shut.

"You just hang on Horatio," Calleigh said soothingly. "The ambulance is on the way. You're going to be OK." She tried to soothe and calm him, to try and give him something else to focus on while he laid there panting and grunting against the onslaught of his tormenting agony. She kept talking to him in low, soft soothing tones, holding his hand, gently touching his face. It made her heart break to see him in such incredible pain.

The siren in the distance got louder very quickly. Minutes later, Horatio Caine was sedated and thankfully slid back into unconscious bliss. He was carefully strapped to a gurney and loaded into the ambulance which rushed him to Miami Dade Memorial Hospital, closely followed by a silver Hummer with a pretty blond at the wheel.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Horatio lay on his side in his hospital bed, exhausted, watching his own hands shake. He was not in much pain, the good drugs had pretty much taken care of that. And from the lazy, foggy feeling he had, he figured he had a fairly healthy dose of narcotics drifting through his veins. All he wanted to do was sleep, but that was impossible.

The real problem was that he was absolutely freezing. His raw, injured back was covered in salve, and even though it also had a numbing agent, trying to lay on it was absolutely out of the question. And when the nurses had tried to cover him with blankets, it didn't matter how soft or fluffy the material was. Once it came in contact with his hyper-sensitive back, it felt like it was made out of broken glass and razor wire. He couldn't even tolerate the thinnest hospital gown, so his entire torso was bare. He had one handful of the thin hospital sheet pulled against his chest, but it did nothing to maintain any body heat. So all he could do was lay there shivering, chilled to the bone.

The door to his room slid open, and a very familiar lovely blond CSI walked towards him.

"Hey there, handsome," Calleigh said, flashing him a warm brilliant smile.

She had spoken with the Doctor in the hall briefly, and she had expected Horatio to be pretty zoned out, considering all the meds he had been given. But there was something else in his eyes… she couldn't quite isolate it… but something definitely wasn't right. And he looked far, far too tired. A cloud of worry flashed across her face.

"Are you doing OK?" she asked softly as she stopped and stood next to his bed. She reached out and put her hand over his, and was stunned to feel how icy cold he was, and she could feel the tremors.

"Horatio, oh my God," she said, becoming alarmed. "You're _freezing_…"

She quickly looked around the room. "Let me get you a blanket…"

"No…" Horatio managed to say, his words thick and a little slurred. "…can't… hurts…"

Calleigh sighed heavily, realizing what he meant. She remembered the amount of pain he had been in while lying on his back at the warehouse, and the fact became immediately clear that he obviously couldn't stand anyone or anything touching his injured back. So… if she couldn't cover him up… how was she going to get him warm?

Then she had an idea. It was pretty bold, and she wasn't sure if he would let her… but she had to try.

"OK," she said with a sigh. "But I'm not just going to stand here and let you freeze to death." She turned and sat down on the edge of his bed, and maneuvered herself next to him, putting one arm behind him and being very, very careful not to touch his back. She picked up his arm, and gently pulled it towards her, guiding his ice cold hand under her dark blue blazer and around her waist. "Come here," she said softly.

"Calleigh… no… you… no…" Horatio stammered. His foggy head swirling.

"It's OK, Horatio. It's OK," she purred, feeling his body tighten up. "Let me help. I'm not going to hurt you."

Any resistance he had was obliterated once his hand made contact with her. The delicious heat radiating from her body overwhelmed his senses, and he let himself be pulled to her. The silky feel of her blouse against his bare chest, the satin lining of her jacket caressing his bare arm.

He couldn't help himself. He was so cold, and she was so _warm… _

He let out a low moan, tightened his arm around her waist and burrowed against her, craving the warmth she was offering. She laid one hand on his arm, comforting him, and reached over with her other hand and gently began stroking his tussled red hair, hoping to soothe him. Horatio closed his eyes, took in a ragged deep breath and exhaled, letting his body relax and sink into hers.

It wasn't long before he stopped shaking. The warm feel of her body seeping into his, chasing away the icy chill. Finally, he was able to drift off into a hazy but comfortable sleep.

Calleigh lay there, holding him, caressing his hair, overjoyed that she had been able to help him. The shallow, regular sounds of his breathing told her he was asleep. And that was good. She realized how much she really cared for this man. And she was willing to do anything to help him. She would lay here and hold him and keep him warm for as long as he wanted or needed her to...

Dark thoughts about how and why he was here tried to push themselves into her mind again… She felt the cold rage welling up against the animals who had done this to him. But she forced herself to push those thoughts away. The people who had hurt him were dead, and she was glad of it, and they were never going to hurt him again. No one was ever going to hurt him again. Not if she had anything to say about it. She mentally shut out all the negative thoughts, and just focused on listening his light, rhythmic breathing.

The important thing was that she was here with him, helping him. And even more amazing… was that he was letting her…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Horatio slept peacefully for almost three hours. Calleigh stayed right there, holding him and keeping him warm, barely moving. Then she felt him twitch slightly, and heard a soft moan… the painkillers were beginning to wear off, rousing him from his dreamless slumber. He gave a light jolt in her arms, and she knew he was fully awake. She expected him to pull away from her once he realized where he was. But to her surprise, he only tensed up for a second, then relaxed back against her with a sigh. She felt his arm tighten a little, and another soft grunt from him.

As if on cue, his door slid open and a nurse came into the room, carrying some pills and a jar of a blue colored gel.

The nurse checked his chart, nodded to Calleigh, then turned her attention to Horatio.

"How are we doing Mr. Caine?" She asked. "I have some more pain medication for you, and it's time to put another treatment on your back,"

Calleigh tangibly felt Horatio's stress level ramp up. His body tensed...

"We don't want it to hurt," the nurse continued. "Would you rather to be sedated?"

Horatio quickly nodded his head yes.

"OK, you got it, no problem." Then speaking to Calleigh, "Ma'am, he's going to be knocked out for a while, perhaps you should let him have his bed to himself?"

Calleigh didn't get a chance to reply. She felt his breathing rate pick up, and his arm tightened firmly around her. "…no…" he mumbled… his groggy mind tumbling between several different thoughts at once…

He was startled to find himself still wrapped around his lovely CSIs warm body when he awoke. He remembered her pulling him close, offering her warmth to drive away his chilling cold. How long had he been laying there? He must have fallen asleep… And Calleigh must have stayed right there with him.

His first instinct when he woke up was to pull away, he always loathed feeling weak or vulnerable. But he was surprised to find that he was not at all uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. And he couldn't bring himself to break the physical bond. It just felt too damn good, and he wanted to stay right where he was.

But the first tinges of pain began to quickly re-emerge from his back, letting him know the painkillers were starting to wear off.

The next thing he knew, the nurse was there, saying something about touching his back again, which forced him to fight back a burst of panic. Then something else about knocking him out, and wanting to pull his warm angel away from him. "…NO…" he heard himself say…

Calleigh squeezed his arm and stroked his hair again, trying to calm him down. "It's OK Horatio, I'm right here… And I am not going anywhere." She gave a stern look to the nurse, making it was clear that the topic was not open for negotiation.

The nurse looked slightly annoyed, but didn't make any further issue out of it.

She walked over and swabbed his arm and expertly administered a syringe. "I'll be right back," she said gently, "we'll just give that a couple of minutes to work."

The nurse left the room, and Calleigh felt Horatio's body slowly melt against hers. His breathing deepened and slowed way down, and his limbs went limp. In less than 60 seconds, he was completely out.

The nurse came back a few minutes later, and carefully applied another thick coat of salve all over Horatio's ravaged back. The nurse checked his vitals when she was done and slid the door shut behind her, blanketing the room in a comfortable quiet.

Once again Calleigh laid there with him, getting lost in her own thoughts about the man lying in her arms. She had been quite surprised by him in the last few hours. His behavior was very un-Horatio-like. But considering everything he had just been through, that shouldn't come as such a shocker.

Horatio was always the solid rock, the unshakable foundation, not only of the CSI team, but quite possibly the entire department. Everyone counted on him, depended on his strength. He was the calm and quiet bedrock that everyone could turn to in a storm. She herself had turned to him for comfort and strength after going through some sort of disaster, both professional and personal. And he had always been there for her.

Now, to see him lying here, wounded, wrapped around her, wanting her to be close to him. Needing her to protect him and give him strength… It was so different to see him as an injured man, a mere mortal, not the iconic super hero that was his legendary image.

This whole role reversal was such a huge shift in their dynamic, it was tough to wrap her brain around it. She certainly had no reservations about giving the man anything he wanted or needed from her, they had developed such a strong mutual respect for each other over all the years that they had known each other and worked together. But there had never been anything like this between them before, not even close. She was proud and delighted to have earned that level of trust from him. But she did wonder how long it would last… Was he just too drugged to know any different? Once he began to heal and the meds were cut back, would he suddenly come to his senses and pull away from her? Maybe he was suffering from post-traumatic stress… that could certainly be a factor…

She stopped herself, mentally shaking her mind clear of all the chatter. She chided herself for trying to read too much into anything. What difference did it make? All that mattered was right here, right now, and whatever would help Horatio. Period.

She felt her phone vibrate, and carefully reached into her jacket pocket to retrieve it. She flipped it open and said quietly, "Hey Eric."

"_Hey. Haven't heard from you in a while, you OK? How's H?"_

"He's sleeping," she said, not wanting to reveal too much information, even to Eric. "They've got him pretty drugged up."

"_Good, that'll give him a chance to start to heal. You coming back to the lab?"_

"Um, no, actually. I'm gonna hang around here for a little while longer, just to be sure."

To be sure of what, Eric didn't ask. But he was glad that someone was there with H, keeping an eye on him.

"_Sure, yeah, no problem Cal. Don't worry about it, we've got things covered here. Listen, keep in touch, OK?"_

"You bet," she said brightly, then hung up the phone.

Horatio would sleep deeply for another two hours, and Calleigh stayed there with him, never leaving his side… She actually ended up taking a little nap herself, lulled by the quiet. She had no idea what awaited them both the next time he woke up…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Horatio jolted in her arms, startling the hell out of her. But the battle was just beginning. Still in the throes of his flashback nightmare, Horatio began to thrash around on the bed, fighting, shoving, and gasping for air.

_Swish, crack…. Swish, crack…_

_Pain exploding from his back like massive rounds of fireworks._

"…_just for you my dear Lieutenant…"_

_The evil cold eyes of Cruz glittering at him…_

"…_you are going to learn what real pain is…" _

_His lungs screaming for air..._

_Swish… crack… swish… crack…_

Before Calleigh could stop him, he pushed her away so forcefully she slid right off the edge of the bed, barely getting her feet under her in time to avoid landing hard on the floor. She sprang back up just in time to see Horatio roll away from her, putting his injured back in direct contact with the heavy white hospital sheet.

The bursts of pain shook him from the grip of his nightmare, and his eyes sprang open.

He growled in pain and rolled immediately back into his stomach, still struggling to get a grip on reality and stop his head from spinning. He felt nauseous, and couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs.

A nurse quickly appeared, a concerned look on her face. "Everything alright in here?" She moved towards the bed to help calm her patient. "Mr. Caine…?"

"Horatio," Calleigh called his name as she reached for him too. But he was already completely overwhelmed. It was all coming at him way too fast…

"STOP!" he said loudly, still breathing rapidly. "…Just… Stop…" He closed his eyes. "…Fuck…."

Calleigh stopped still, then pulled back away from him, and saw that the nurse did the same. She wasn't sure the last time she had ever heard him swear. She desperately wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't about to push him. And clearly, he was waging his own internal battle right now. She thought it best to get rid of the prying eyes of the nurse and give him a chance to settle himself down without an audience.

"He just had a nightmare," she told the nurse. "But he's OK. Why don't we just leave him alone and let him calm down, OK?"

The nurse didn't look entirely convinced that everything was fine, but she did finally nod and turned to leave the room. "Call me if you need anything, I'll check back later," she said before the door slid shut.

Horatio stayed like that for a long while, on his stomach with his eyes tightly shut, his weight on his forearms and elbows, and resting his forehead on his tightly clenched fists. The only sound in the room was his rapid, heavy breathing. Calleigh stood quietly next to his bed and gave him his space, watching him struggle mightily to get himself back under control.

Gradually, he was able to slow his breathing down, and his heart no longer threatened to hammer itself from his chest. It was quite some time before either of them moved or spoke. Calleigh didn't know how much actual time had passed, but it felt like ages.

After what seemed like an eternity, the first to break the silence was Horatio.

He sucked in a slightly shaky deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

"They… hurt me… Calleigh…" he said, his voice barely a whisper.

He spoke so softly that she was barely able to make out the words. But she did hear what he said, and it tore heavily at her heart. She had to fight to keep tears from springing to her eyes. She swallowed hard and gently sat back down on the edge of the bed next to him. He still didn't move.

"I know they did," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "But they will never, ever be able hurt you again. Or anyone else. They're both dead. Dead and gone."

He nodded slightly, then his voice took on a deep dark tone, "Good," he said bitterly.

"Horatio, it's going to take some time for you to recover from this," she said soothingly. "But you will. And you're not alone. You have a lot of people who care about you… especially me."

"I know…" he answered, his voice soft and quiet again.

He felt tired and drained. He sighed, then slid his arms out from underneath himself, wrapping them around the small hospital pillow and slightly rolling to one side. He grimaced at the effort.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked him softly. She felt slightly awkward, not knowing what he needed or wanted, unsure what to do.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. The massive pool of emotion in those crystal blue eyes was staggering. No walls up, no defenses in place. Just the pure, raw heart and soul of a wonderful man. And the fact that he was freely showing it to her made her heart skip a few beats.

He hesitated for a moment. He had always felt a special bond to Calleigh, there always seemed to be something more there, under the surface of their working relationship. His head was still slightly fuzzy from the meds, but his normal instinctive thoughts were still trying to push through the fog and tell him to put up the walls, to send her away, to handle this by himself. But he didn't want to do that. He needed her and he knew it. He decided to just be honest and tell her what he wanted.

He asked simply, "Stay with me?"

"As long you want handsome," she replied with a warm smile. He shoved the pillow aside and reached for her, and she slid back into her now usual place on the bed with him. He comfortably wrapped himself around her and settled back into her warm embrace. He didn't care what the consequences might be from all this, he would deal with those later. Right now, this was exactly where he wanted to be. He took a deep breath, and eventually let himself drift back to sleep.

Calleigh gently held him close, still being careful not to touch his back. She glanced up at the clock. He wasn't due for another dose of painkillers for at least another hour, but he seemed to be resting comfortably right now. And so was she. She was amazed at how quickly and easily this had all taken place. If someone had told her 24 hours ago that she and her near-naked boss would be lying in bed with their arms wrapped around each other, she would've thought they were certifiably insane.

Her analytical mind once again kicked into gear, and started clicking off questions about the relationship that was developing. But she forced herself to quiet the mental chatter and just take it all one step at a time. The important thing was to help Horatio recover, so that's what she would focus on.

The late afternoon sun was beginning to blaze outside the hospital's curtained window, painting the Miami skyline in jewel tones of deep orange and crimson.

She yawned, realizing how tired she was from all the events of the day. Glancing down at the man sleeping peacefully on her, she softly ran her fingers through his hair, then settled back against the pillows and faded off to sleep herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Roughly an hour later, the nurse re-appeared. Horatio was lightly sedated again and his back was treated. He laid still and quiet in her arms as he slept deeply. Knowing he would be comfortably out for a while, it wasn't long before Calleigh succumbed again to the pull of sleep as well. The night slipped by uneventfully.

The early morning sun finally came peeking over the horizon, casting its amber yellow glow throughout the hospital room.

Eric stood in stunned silence as the door slid shut behind him. He had figured to just stop by and quickly check on his boss before heading to the lab. He knew H would be out of commission for a while, and it would be up to the team to pull together and keep things running smoothly for as long as was needed. And even though it was early, he was pretty sure Calleigh would still be around, keeping a protective eye on things.

But the sight before him caught him completely off guard. Calleigh was snuggled up in Horatio's bed, he was nearly laying on top of her, and his arms were completely wrapped around her. She was holding him protectively, even lovingly, her face resting against the top of his head. It was like they were glued together. And they were both fast asleep.

He felt a sharp pang of jealousy, but quickly shook it off. He had no right to be. He and Calleigh had made a couple of attempts, but they had never really been able to make much of a relationship work, and they had finally both agreed to let it go, move on, and just remain friends. Still, he had to admit it did hurt a little to see her being so openly affectionate with someone else, even if that someone was Horatio Caine.

He wasn't sure what to do. Maybe the best thing would be to just turn around and make a silent exit. But Calleigh's sleepy voice canceled that plan.

"Eric?" she said, blinking awake. She raised her head slightly, but was careful not to move around too much and risk waking Horatio. "Hey. How long have you been here?"

"Um, not long," he answered quietly, "just got here, actually."

Calleigh felt a little uncomfortable, she could see the look in Eric's eyes and knew he was less than thrilled at seeing her in Horatio's bed like this. But unfortunately, he was just going to have to find a way to deal with it. Her world had completely shifted focus, and Eric was not the one at the center of her universe. Still, she didn't like hurting anyone.

"So, how's he doing?" Eric finally asked, breaking the short but awkward silence.

"About as well as can be expected," she replied, glancing down at the still sleeping man lying on her. "They've got him on a lot of painkillers. And he has to be sedated any time they have to touch his back. He's already had one flashback nightmare that scared the hell out of both of us. It took him quite a while to calm down again. And I'm sure that it won't be the last one."

Eric heard the warmth and compassion in her voice, and watched as she softly stroked his hair. Horatio never stirred.

"It's just going to take some time," she said quietly. "He's going to need a lot of TLC to get through this."

Eric wondered just what kind of TLC she had in mind, but then mentally kicked himself for even having such a thought. Horatio had been through a deeply serious trauma, and not just physically. He had been assaulted, kidnapped, drugged and tortured. I mean, Christ, they _whipped_ him for God's sake. Of course he was going to need all the help he could get. And if Calleigh could be there to help him in any way, then who was he to not get behind that one hundred percent? He felt like an idiot for feeling jealous at all.

Calleigh watched as Eric grew quiet, and then he suddenly seemed a million miles away.

"Eric, are you OK?" she asked, concerned.

He nodded, shaking himself out of his thoughts and giving her a light half grin. "Yeah, sure. I'm fine. Look Cal, whatever you got going with H… he needs you, and you're helping him. And it's really none of my business. It's not anybody's business. The important thing is that H gets whatever he needs, and it looks like you got that pretty well covered."

Calleigh flashed him a brilliant smile. "I couldn't agree more," she said sincerely. "Thank you."

He nodded again, smiling. "I take it you're not coming back to the lab anytime soon…"

She shook her head no. "I'm right where I need to be."

"OK. Just keep in touch. And would you tell H I stopped by?"

Another warm smile from her. "I will."

She watched Eric leave the room, and let out a small sigh of relief. She really hadn't expected him to be anything but supportive, but it still eased some of her tension knowing that he was OK with whatever was developing between her and Horatio.

Calleigh laid her head back down, listening to the muted sounds of the hospital coming to life outside the door to the room. Horatio slept for about another hour, then was awakened by the tantalizing smell of coffee and pancakes drifting through the halls. Calleigh smelled it too, and it suddenly made her realize that she was absolutely famished. And how long had it been since Horatio had eaten anything? She had no idea.

The morning meals were being quickly distributed, and it wasn't long before the nurse wheeled a cart in with not just one, but two full trays of food, and parked them both next to Calleigh's side of the bed, so she had everything within easy reach. She smiled and nodded to Calleigh. "Enjoy," she said warmly.

"Oh, absolutely we will," Calleigh said, her voice heavy with sincere gratitude. "Thank you, a million times over."

Horatio worked at shaking some of the cobwebs out of his head and pulled himself up a bit, his stomach growling.

"Good morning handsome," Calleigh said cheerfully, then began surveying the various items on the trays. "How about some breakfast in bed?"

**R & R please! I thrive on feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Horatio ate ravenously. Calleigh started out slowly feeding him small bites, but he quickly propped himself up on one elbow and devoured everything she put in front of him. Scrambled eggs, sausages, pancakes, fruit, toast, yogurt, juice, everything. Calleigh ate some as well, but made sure Horatio got first dibs and ate as much as he wanted. She kept a close eye on him, concerned that the meds might make him nauseous, but he seemed fine the entire time. She was glad to see him have such a healthy appetite, and to get some good solid food into his stomach.

The food was divine, but Horatio thought the best thing of all was the hot coffee. Strong, black, and slightly bitter, but he felt its energizing effects all the way down to his toes. Although it was hospital food, it was one of the most glorious meals he could remember ever having. And in no small measure because it was served up to him by his angel of warmth. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the last few sips of his coffee. He actually felt… better.

He could feel some measure of strength returning, albeit very small. He absolutely hated feeling weak or vulnerable, and those base reflexes were starting to try and push their way to the surface. But he still didn't want to relinquish the nourishing bond that had been quickly established with the woman in his bed. And it felt so good to be relatively coherent to appreciate it. His head still felt groggy and fuzzy, but he decided he could work with that. The painkillers were very, very welcome. But he didn't want to keep getting knocked out. He didn't want to be just a heavy comatose body lying on her, totally blacked out for hours on end…

"Well, somebody was hungry," Calleigh chided. "How long's it been since you had something to eat?"

Horatio opened his eyes and gave her a very tired smile. "A while," he said simply.

He drained the last drops of the dark liquid and handed her the empty coffee cup. She took it and put it over on the tray table.

He wasn't sure what was happening between he and Calleigh at this point. The solid, unshakable control he always kept himself so tightly under was just about non-existent. It was a condition that would normally terrify and greatly anger him. And under normal circumstances something like this would cause him to immediately redouble his efforts to tighten the reins down on himself and get the walls back up ASAP. But he was amazed at how comfortable he felt with her. It was almost like a blind man being given the gift of sight. She had been right in front of him all this time, and it was like he had never really seen her before. What a wonderful woman she was. So caring and loving, yet tough and protective. He knew he could trust her, completely. And he could not find words to express how grateful he was to have her here with him, right here, right now. Yeah, his head was foggy with painkillers, but that wasn't why he was starting to feel such deep stirrings in his heart. It had been so long… so very, very long…

When she looked back at him, she was met with an intense gaze that nearly took her breath away. And there was a deep look of sincere gratitude in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, nearly a whisper.

She gave him a warm smile. "You don't have to thank me," she paused for a second, mesmerized by those sparkling, sky blue eyes. She wasn't intending to say anything else, but she let the words that she was thinking tumble out unhalted. "I would do anything for you Horatio."

They both just looked at each other, and it felt like time stopped. She found herself thinking about all the time that they had known each other. Her boss. Her lieutenant. She had always had the utmost respect and admiration for him. But she had never really allowed herself to fully appreciate how incredibly attractive he was. Such a firm, muscular and powerful body. That glorious soft red hair. And those eyes… those entrancing crystal blue eyes…

The spell was immediately broken when the nurse returned to clear away the trays, both of which were completely devoid of any crumb of food. They were both abruptly shaken back to reality.

Another nurse entered the room right behind her, syringe and blue gel in hand. She double-checked his chart and walked to the side of the bed.

"Time to treat your back Mr. Caine," she said gently, "I've got your sedative for you."

"No," he said, shaking his head. He had already made up his mind. No more knock-outs.

The nurse stopped and gave him a quizzical stare. "No? You… don't want to be sedated?"

"No," he replied.

Calleigh was startled. "What? Horatio…" she stammered. "What? What are you talking about? You need to be sedated…"

"No…" he said more firmly, cutting her off.

Huffing in frustration, she looked up at the nurse. "I'm sorry… Can you give us a minute?" Calleigh asked, and she nodded, which effectively dismissed her from the room. The door slid shut.

"Horatio," Calleigh said gently, her voice pleading. "It's gonna hurt… I don't want to see you hurt. Not by anyone or anything. And now suddenly you've decided that you want that nurse to come in here, and hurt you, with no drugs to kill the pain…"

"Whoa, whoa," he said quickly, his words still coming out a little slower than he wanted. "I didn't say _no_ drugs." The thought of having someone touch his back with no painkillers at all nearly made him shudder. "I'll take the pain meds. I will _definitely_ take the pain meds. I just don't want to be knocked out again. Christ, Calleigh, I just woke up."

Calleigh felt herself getting frustrated. She didn't want to go against his wishes…. But she didn't want him to be in pain either…

"OK, look," she said, sighing heavily and sounding slightly irritated. "You've been through a very traumatic event. And you're injured. I mean, my God, it hasn't even been 24 hours…"

"I don't want to be unconscious," he answered quietly.

Calleigh was quiet for a few moments. Then she let out a long, heavy sigh, and ran her hand through her long blond hair. "Okay," she said finally. "If you're sure that's what you want."

He glanced at her and nodded. "It is."

When the nurse came back, she was informed that Horatio did _not_ want to be sedated. Just the painkillers. She seemed rather puzzled, but did not challenge his decision.

Horatio gulped down the pills with the cup of water provided, and Calleigh was only slightly startled when he immediately rolled over and laid his chest on top of her, wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Calleigh got the idea. She latched onto his arm, massaging his lean bicep, her other hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you sure?" Calleigh asked softly, one last time.

"Yes. I don't need that shit," he answered. "I have you."

The nurse waited a few minutes, then walked over behind him, opening the jar of blue gel salve.

"Ready?" She asked.

Horatio tightened his embrace and clenched his teeth.

"Do it…" he growled.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

News of Horatio's kidnapping and savage assault began to spread through the Crime Lab as well as the entire Department like a rampant wildfire. The instant Eric hit the main doors of the Lab, he turned and headed directly for the M.E.'s office. He didn't want Kyle to hear about his Dad's ordeal from anyone else. He quickly found Kyle and Dr. Price washing a body near the back of the morgue. The room was crowded with multiple tables holding bodies covered in sheets, all silently waiting their turn.

"Hey Doc," he said as he walked up to them. "I need to talk to Kyle for a minute." She nodded, still intently focused on her work.

Kyle turned and looked at him, his expression a mix of puzzlement and worry.

"Kyle, I wanted you to hear this from me before you heard it anywhere else," he said calmly. "Your Dad's been hurt, and he's in the hospital."

Eric saw the alarm bells go off in the young man's eyes, and Kyle immediately started spouting off questions. "What? Hurt how? What happened? Is he OK? Where is he? Can I see him?"

"He's at Dade Memorial," Eric said, still keeping his voice calm. "He's in good hands, they're taking excellent care of him." Eric glanced at Dr. Price, whose eyes were wide with concern, then he looked back at Kyle. "Kyle, why don't you come here and sit down for a minute."

The two walked over to a small bench on the back wall. Kyle looked about 5 shades paler as he slowly sat down.

"It's bad… isn't it…" asked Kyle haltingly.

"The Doctors say he going to be OK, but it's going to take some time," Eric told him. "But I thought you should know exactly what happened to him. And, yeah, he's got some pretty serious injuries."

Kyle took a deep breath. "Tell me."

Eric spelled out everything they knew about what had happened to Horatio at the hands of Cruz and his partner. Eric kept his voice calm, and relayed the details like he was reading from the Police Report. While he was talking, Eric watched the young man quietly process the information. He had to admire the kid. Kyle was so much like his Dad, able to digest disturbing and very upsetting news with a quiet inner strength. Kyle didn't interrupt; he just sat there and listened intently to every word coming out of Eric's mouth.

"…Calleigh and I were with the SWAT team at the warehouse when your Dad was rescued. Both Cruz and his partner were killed in the shootout. Your Dad was in a lot of pain, and he was taken straight to the hospital."

Eric continued. "The Doctors have him on a lot of pain meds and sedatives, to keep him as comfortable as possible. You just need to be prepared for what kind of shape he may be in. He may be unconscious. He may have to be to allow him to heal and recover. Just keep in mind the Docs say he's going to be OK."

Kyle nodded. "I need to see him," he answered. "Is he there alone?"

"Um, no…" Eric hesitated. "Calleigh's with him…" Eric paused again, searching for the right words. "She's… she's there making sure that your Dad gets whatever he needs…"

Kyle had no idea why Eric was suddenly tripping over his words, but he didn't give it much thought. Now that he knew the extent of his father's injuries, Kyle was just relieved that there was someone at the hospital, that his Dad wasn't alone.

Eric's cell phone rang, it was Ryan. "Hey," Eric answered.

"_Yeah, Eric… Are you one your way in? I have a mountain of evidence to process on the Anne McClelland homicide and I really need some help."_

"Um, yeah, I'm just downstairs talking to Kyle. I was going to drive him over to the hospital to see H."

Silence.

"Ryan? You still there? Is there a problem?"

"_Eric, look. I'm just as concerned about H as everyone else. But we all know that he would never want to jeopardize a case, or have this entire Crime Lab grind to a halt because we all stopped doing our jobs. The problem is, we are seriously short-handed, this evidence has to be processed, and we have to find out who killed this woman. And I really, really need your help up here."_

Eric sighed. "You're right. Sorry. Give me 5 minutes. I'll be right there."

"_Thank you…"_ came the relieved reply.

Eric hung up, and looked back to Kyle. "Hey, looks like you're gonna have to head over there on your own. We owe it to your Dad to keep things rolling around here. So I have to go upstairs and get to work. Your Dad's in room 303."

"OK, thanks Eric," Kyle answered, standing up. "Thank you for telling me what happened."

"No problem, gotta go," he said, quickly turning and heading out of the room.

Kyle walked towards Tara, who was still methodically working on the body on the table. "Dr. Price…" he started to say, but she put one gloved hand up, stopping him mid-sentence.

"You don't even have to ask me Kyle," she said. "Go on. Go see your Dad. Just promise me you'll come back here when you can. I can hold down the fort, but we're swamped."

"Yes Ma'am," Kyle said, quickly shrugging out of his white lab coat and heading for the door. "I will. Thank you!"

_**Back at the Hospital….**_

Horatio clung tightly to Calleigh as his back was treated. The nurse was as gentle as she could be, while still getting the job done efficiently and thoroughly. But even with the painkillers, it absolutely hurt like hell. Only about half-way done, he began to think that refusing the sedative may have been a very, very bad idea…

But Calleigh was right there too, holding him, talking softly to him, comforting him. So he tried forcing himself to just focus on her. Her warmth, her hands, her touch, her voice. Block everything else out. And it worked, kind of. Enough to get him through the remaining few minutes it took for the nurse to finish up.

It took several more minutes for him to get his breathing under control after the nurse left the room.

"You OK?" Calleigh finally asked quietly.

"Yeah," he answered. His mouth was dry and everything felt thick and fuzzy. But now that it was over, he was ultimately glad to be awake and not blacked out. Very hazy, but awake.

He very slowly began to unwrap himself from her. "Got some water?" He asked tiredly.

"Sure," she said, reaching to the side table for the pitcher and a cup. But it was just out of her reach.

Just then the door slid open, and another visitor walked in.

"Dad," Kyle said, flashing a very relieved smile. On the drive over, he had mentally tried to brace himself for the worst, but seeing his father up and awake, he felt a huge wave of relief. He didn't hesitate for a second at seeing Calleigh in his Dad's bed. Or at seeing the angry red welts all over his back. He was just delighted to see his Dad, period. He quickly walked over to the side of the bed and grabbed his father's hand. "How are you doing? Are you OK?"

Horatio was also relieved to see his son. He had been worried about how Kyle would handle hearing about what had happened to him. So it was good to have him right here in person, to reassure him that his old man was going to be alright. He squeezed his son's hand. "A little rough right now, son," Horatio said, still slurring just a bit. "But I'm going to be fine."

Kyle noticed how dazed his Dad looked, and remembered what Eric had said about the heavy duty pain meds. He thought it would be a good time to add a touch of humor, his Dad would probably appreciate it.

"Whoa, Dad, how many of those pills did they give you?" He asked with a grin. "That's gotta be some really good stuff. Can I get a couple of those for a Friday night?"

Horatio huffed, and gave his son a tired smile. "Hah. Very funny. Not a chance."

"Yeah, OK," he answered lightheartedly.

Then he got more serious. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Calleigh piped up. "Actually, Kyle," she said with a smile, "could you pour your Dad some water? I can't reach it."

"Sure," he said eagerly, releasing his father's grip and quickly replacing it with a cup of cool water.

Horatio took a few sips, feeling the soothing liquid flow all the way into to his stomach.

Kyle looked at Calleigh and smiled. He wasn't an idiot. He could see there was something much more than just a working relationship going on here. And he was happy for his father. It was about time he had a woman in his life, someone he could love and trust, someone who would love him back unconditionally.

_And besides, Calleigh is totally hot..._ he thought. _Way to go Dad…_

Horatio drained the rest of the water from the cup, and Kyle refilled it, placing it and the pitcher easily within Calleigh's reach on the bedside table. He had actually planned to stay a while longer, and he knew that the people at the Lab would certainly understand if he did. But, much like his father, he felt an honor-bound duty to get back to work. There were people there depending on him, and besides, he could see that his Dad was in very good hands.

"Listen, Dad," Kyle said gently. "I absolutely had to come and see you. I had to know you were OK. And I can tell you're being very well taken care of. But… Dr. Price is really back-logged, and she's counting on me…"

"Then you need to get back to work, son," Horatio said, his heart swelling with pride. "I'm not going anywhere. Come see me tonight."

"I will," Kyle answered quickly, "I'll come right back here as soon as I'm off shift," he reached out and squeezed his father's hand again. "Love you Dad."

"I love you too," Horatio replied, feeling a slight lump in his throat.

Then Kyle leaned over, and unexpectedly gave Calleigh a light, quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for taking care of my Dad," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome," she said warmly, her eyes sparkling with surprise. "See you later Kyle."

"Bye," he said, and quickly disappeared back out the door.

Horatio marveled at how much his son had matured in such a short amount of time. Gone was the insecure 16-year old he had first met. It seemed like Kyle had literally grown up overnight, right in front of him. He was blown away by how responsible and conscientious he had become. He liked to think it was due in part to his influence and support, but it really spoke more to Kyle's intelligence and character. It was clear that down deep, Kyle was a really good kid. No, a really _great_ kid. Horatio couldn't have been more proud of his son than at that moment.

"You've really done an amazing job with him," Calleigh said softly, expertly reading his thoughts. "You should be very proud. You're an awesome Dad."

He gazed at her and smiled. Then stifled a yawn. He tiredly rubbed his forehead, suddenly finding it more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. He felt Calleigh pulling him back down into hear warm, inviting embrace and let himself melt back against her warm body.

"Come here, handsome," she said sweetly. "Just because they didn't knock you out doesn't mean that you don't need some sleep."

He took a deep breath and quickly drifted off into a comfortable sleep, feeling a warm glow in his heart, and no hint of pain at all...


	8. Chapter 8

_**I may have wandered these two a little bit out-of-character here, but I'm kinda wanting to move things along a little bit… R&R please!**_

Chapter 8

Horatio awoke quietly sometime later to the most delectable sensations. It felt absolutely wonderful. He fluttered his eyes open, but he didn't stir. He just laid there, perfectly still, absorbing it.

He felt Calleigh's hand softly wandering across the back of his neck and the side of his face, languidly drifting her fingertips across his skin, running her slender fingers slowly through his hair. She had certainly touched him before, but not like this. This was something different. This wasn't just a purely comforting or calming touch, although it certainly had that effect on him. No, this was much more sensual. She was caressing him… touching him… feeling him… just like… like a_ lover_.

It had been so long since he had felt such a deeply soulful touch; he thought that maybe he was dreaming. That maybe his drug-hazed brain was inventing it. He hoped like hell that it wasn't just a dream, but if it was, he didn't want to miss a single moment of it. He closed his eyes again, and let himself get lost in it. It just felt so incredibly_ good._

Then, despite his best efforts, he took in a lightly shuddering breath and quickly exhaled it… The hand on his neck stopped abruptly…..

Calleigh had been lying there contentedly after Kyle had left, silently delighted that Horatio didn't have to worry about how his son would find out what had happened to him or how the young man would cope with the situation. Horatio had every right to be very proud of his son, Kyle really was a terrific kid.

She soon recognized the slow, shallow breathing pattern of the man in her arms, and knew that Horatio was asleep once again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and allowed her mind to wander, drifting into a half-awake state herself. And her mind definitely wandered… way past every single boundary. Her sub-conscious apparently took over, and began to travel along a forbidden path in her mind…

Thoughts and images began to blossom up… and she allowed them to…

She was relaxing on a secluded beach, the warm ocean breeze gently tugging at the wispy thin wrap she was wearing. Suddenly, a warm muscular frame hovered over her, his bare chest brushing against her scantily clad skin. His arms wrapped themselves around her, his hands gently roaming along the curves of her body, pulling her close. And then her mouth was captured in a romantically sultry kiss. When their lips parted, she opened her eyes and looked up, gazing into the sparkling blue eyes of one very healthy Horatio Caine. She flashed him a brilliant smile. He smiled warmly back at her, then she heard his smooth deep voice, the voice she knew so well, purring in her ear. It was that voice that sent delicious longing coursing through her.

"Mmmm. Calleigh," he said lowly, nuzzling her neck with hot kisses. "Sweetheart…"

His loving tone and the feeling of his lips nibbling along her neck made her heart swell with affection for this wonderful man. She sighed deeply, and ran her hand sensuously along the back of his neck, touching his face, toying with his soft, silky hair. She felt a warm wave of desire rush through her. She wanted to hold him right there, caressing him, touching him, conveying her deepest feelings through her fingertips, feeling him so warm and close and intimate…

Then she heard him take a ragged breath, and her eyes opened and she recognized the hospital room and it instantly snapped her back to reality. She immediately stilled her hand on him, feeling her cheeks slightly flush as the images from her mind slowly faded. She wondered just how awake Horatio was… and how long had she been touching him like that?

Once again, he managed to surprise her. He didn't move. He just laid there, quiet and still in her arms.

"You don't have to stop," he said quietly.

She moved her hand on his neck again, but not quite as sensually as before. The magical spell had once again been broken.

"How are you feeling?" She asked lightly, re-focusing on the fact that this was an injured Horatio and they were laying in a hospital room, not frolicking on a beach somewhere. "Are you doing OK?"

He unwrapped himself from her just enough to lean his weight to his side and look deeply into her eyes.

"Calleigh," he said sincerely, "it's been a long time… since anyone touched me… the way you just did."

She realized that he had been awake. Very awake.

Even with the painkillers drifting through his system, it didn't dull the fixed intensity of his gaze. He finally braved the question. "What do you think… is happening here?" he asked her, his expression serious.

Before she could answer him, the door slid open and two doctors walked in. One stood mutely by the door, clearly an underling of the other Doctor. This quiet man gave them both a light grin and a nod, but never said a word and stayed right by the door, apparently where he had been instructed to stay. The Senior Doc snapped up the chart at the foot of the bed and walked briskly around behind Horatio.

Calleigh felt Horatio's stress level ramp up at having someone come up behind him so quickly, but he didn't show his reaction, he stayed still and calm, but she could definitely tell that he was not at all happy or comfortable with this rapidly developing situation.

All her senses swung into full alert mode.

"Hello Mr. Caine, I'm Doctor Warren, this is Doctor Corbin," he said rather dismissively, not so much as acknowledging that Calleigh was even in the room. "I'm just going to check your back… let's see how you're healing…"

Calleigh rapidly took it all in. The one by the door, she didn't mind him. But this other guy… she was quickly developing a very strong dislike for him. She saw him as a potential threat… someone who could hurt Horatio.

He hovered over Horatio's back, no presence of gentleness, not announcing his intentions, and certainly not caring how agitated he was making his patient. Calleigh slowly began to disengage herself from Horatio's embrace and sliding herself closer towards the edge of the bed, her fierce stare never wavering from the arrogant Doctor. Horatio seemed to understand, and let go of her to give her some room, albeit hesitantly.

"You appear to be doing well," the hovering Doctor said, leaning just a bit closer. "Hmm. But there are a few areas of concern, right here…" he made a move like he was going to touch Horatio's back, Horatio closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and tensed up, and Calleigh sprang into action.

In one smooth motion, Calleigh leapt up from the bed, reached over, and grabbed the offensive man's wrist. She wrenched it over, away from the bed, and shoved him backwards, releasing his wrist at the same time. The stunned Doctor tumbled back, losing his balance, tripping against several pieces of furniture, and nearly fell to the floor.

"Don't you touch him!" She said loudly, glowering at the stumbling man.

He managed to grab hold of a chair back and kept himself from sprawling on the floor. He snapped back up onto his feet and struggled to regain his composure, brushing himself off and smoothing his ruffled white coat.

"What the hell was that all about?" he demanded. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Protecting him," she replied evenly. "From assholes like you."

"_Asshole?_" he shot back indignantly. "Look lady, I'm his _Doctor_…"

"Not any more you're not," she interrupted. "Get out. And don't come back."

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words were coming out. Apparently he had never come up against anything like the forceful fury of Calleigh Duquesne.

The Doctor attempted to salvage what little of his dignity he had left, and stormed from the room. The other Doctor watched him leave, and lingered just a moment before walking out the door behind him. The quiet Doctor Corbin turned and looked at Calleigh.

"Ma'am, I'm really sorry about that," he said, looking genuinely concerned. "We'll make sure that nothing like that happens again."

"Damn right you will," she shot back, giving him a searing glare as well.

When the room was empty once again, Calleigh took a deep breath to calm herself down, then turned back to look at the man lying in the bed in front of her. She reached out and took his hand. He wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed it gently.

"You OK?" she asked, searching his eyes for any sign of pain or stress.

He met her gaze, and a knowing smile slowly came to his face.

"How could I not be, with protection like that?" he replied, grinning a little wider.

She smiled back, and chuckled softly.

"Too over the top?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Not at all," he answered. "It was just what the Doctor ordered."

This time she allowed herself to actually laugh out loud, and he chuckled softly along with her.

Their lighthearted banter was interrupted by an annoying alarm tome coming from her jacket. She pulled her cell phone out, and saw the little battery bar flashing red.

"Oh damn. My cell's almost dead and I don't have my charger," she said with a sigh. "Tell you what, I'm just going to run down to the nurse's station and find out what the phone number is to your room here. Then I can put some calls out and touch bases with everyone at the Lab, OK? I'll be right back."

"Sure," he said, he released her hand and watched her leave the room.

He settled on his side on the mattress, fully aware of how much he missed her warmth, and how much he was anxiously awaiting her return to his bed…


	9. Chapter 9

_**Kind of a short chapter, I know. But hopefully has some good stuff in it…R&R please!**_

Chapter 9

Calleigh was only gone a few moments, and when she returned she was followed into the room by a nurse who gave Horatio his pain meds. He was informed that they would be delaying his back treatment until after lunch, which was just about to come around. He was certainly not looking forward to another bout of painful salve treatment, but as long as Calleigh was around, he was confident that he could get through it.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to comfortably handle the phone if she were lying in bed with him, Calleigh pulled up a chair beside the small bed-side table.

She was the picture of efficiency and professionalism, pen and paper in hand, in case she needed to take some notes. And even though she was a bit disheveled from being here with him for 24 hours, he still found her absolutely radiant. He laid there watching her as she checked in with the Lab, and spoke at length with, of all people, Ryan.

And in response to Horatio's repeated and persistent requests, she finally relented and began relaying all the information that Ryan was giving her about the cases they were all working and how things were progressing.

Apparently CSI Wolfe had somewhat taken over the reins of keeping the team focused and on-task, assuming the role of being a temporary and very un-official supervisor, and Horatio found that development very interesting and rather unexpected. Ryan was certainly not the senior CSI by any stretch, and Horatio wondered briefly if he should be worried about someone gunning for his job. But he dismissed that thought immediately. Everything at the Lab sounded like it was organized, under control and well in-hand, something that he sincerely appreciated. He would have to make sure that he recognized and thanked Ryan personally when all this was over.

Before signing off, Ryan also took the time to convey all the well wishes from everyone to Horatio for a speedy recovery.

Lunch arrived, and was devoured. Calleigh noticed that Horatio was looking tired again, the meds taking their effect. But she also noticed that he kept glancing towards the door at the slightest sound. She knew he was dreading another back treatment, but at the same time probably wanting to just get it over with.

The nurse came and took the empty trays away, and the room fell quiet, just the two of them.

"Well, handsome," she said warmly, and leaned closer to him. "Looks like I finally have a chance to answer your question from earlier," she reached out and held his hand. He gazed back at her expectantly. She took a deep breath.

"I think… that this is something that probably should have happened a very long time ago," she said softly. "But you and I… we just…" she shrugged lightly. "We just never let it."

He gave her hand a squeeze, and nodded, his blue eyes awash with open affection.

"And it may seem like this is all happening so fast…" she continued. "But.. it's not like we don't know each other… I think maybe we've always known that there was something much deeper between you and me… But for whatever reasons, we just never let it develop. "

She paused, their eyes locked onto each other. Seeing the raw emotion there, she ventured on, finally giving her heart it's voice.

"And Horatio, nothing would please me more than to be with you. To hold you… comfort you… protect you… and... love you."

He felt his heart completely melt. He let go of her hand, and held his arm up, beckoning her towards him.

"C'mere…." He said huskily.

She crawled up into bed with him once again. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her fiercely. She hugged him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and being mindful of his painful back.

"God… Calleigh…" he whispered. "So long… and you've been right here the whole time…"

"And I'm not going anywhere…" she replied, feeling close to tears.

Once again, their tender moment was interrupted by a nurse entering the room, carrying the dreaded jar of blue salve.

She heard and felt the man in her arms tangibly tense with anticipation.

"Hey, it's gonna be OK," she said gently. "You're gonna be OK, I've got you."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, bracing himself for coming onslaught of discomfort.

"I will do this as quickly as I can Mr. Caine," the nurse said.

He nodded, and then he felt the graze of a gloved hand gliding thick salve across his injured skin. He drew in a quick breath with a sharp hiss, followed by a harsh grunt. Calleigh tightened her hold on him, and spoke soothing words to him, helping him ride out the pain.

After what felt like an eternity to him, it was finally over. He heard the nurse say "All done," and let his body slump against the warm, beautiful woman beneath him. It had been painful, as expected, but he had to admit, it was slightly better than last time. Which meant that the treatments and the meds were doing their respective jobs… he was healing.

He became aware of Calleigh's soft hands combing through his hair, comforting him as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"How you doing?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern.

"I'm OK," he replied wearily. "I'm just… tired…"

"It's alright, I'm right here. You just relax, and get some rest," she said, and gently kissed the top of his head, her lips lingering for a few seconds. He moaned softly in response.

He wondered if that qualified as a 'first kiss' as he drifted off into a comfortable sleep…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Horatio slept for a few hours, comfortably wrapped around Calleigh's warm body. It was close to 4:30 in the afternoon when he awoke. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his son sprawled comfortably in the big chair next to the bed, engrossed in a magazine.

"Hi son," he said, his voice still husky from sleep.

He felt Calleigh stir, waking up from her nap as well.

"Hey Kyle," Calleigh said sleepily.

Kyle looked up at hearing their voices, and smiled broadly.

"Hi Calleigh," he said warmly glancing at her, then looking back at his father. "Hey Dad. How you feeling?"

"I'm… hanging in there, son," he said with a lightly tired sigh. "Hanging in there."

"You want anything? Water? Soda? Anything?" The young man asked, eager to help.

"Water would be great," Horatio answered with a smile, and began to unravel himself from the lovely lady sharing his bed, and prop himself up.

"Sure," Kyle answered, and jumped to the task.

Horatio looked down at Calleigh's lovely face, and gazed into her soft green eyes. They shared a moment of silent communication, both slowly and sweetly smiling at each other.

The he turned his attention back to his son.

"Thank you, son. How long have you been here?" Horatio asked.

"Oh, not even an hour," Kyle answered, handing the cup of water to his Dad. "I was supposed to get off shift at 2, but Dr. Price really needed the extra help, so I stayed til 3. But then I came straight here."

The cool water tasted wonderful. Then he felt his angel of warmth moving towards the edge of the bed, slowly sliding out from underneath his body.

"Hey, you know what," Calleigh said, gently separating herself from her attractive red-read. "There's a few things I need to do. And you two could use a little father-son time."

She reached out and softly put a hand to Horatio's cheek as she stood.

"You OK?" She asked sincerely.

He leaned into her touch, closed his eyes for a second, and nodded.

"I'm fine," he said opening his eyes again and smiling at her.

"OK. I'll be back in a bit," she said, then flashed a brilliant smile at Kyle.

Horatio watched her leave the room.

Calleigh had obviously wanted to give Horatio and his son some alone time, but unbeknown to the two men, she had also decided to use this opportunity to venture off and find Horatio's new doctor, and make sure he wasn't an asshole…

Kyle watched his Dad gazing longingly after the pretty blonde woman who had just left the room.

"Dad, I am so glad that you finally have a girlfriend," he said with a grin. "I mean, it's about time, right?"

Horatio gave his son a slightly shy smile. _Girlfriend_. Just the word itself made him feel warm and giddy inside.

"Calleigh's awesome," his son added.

"Yes, son," he answered. "Yes she is."

The room went quiet.

Kyle got a very serious look on his face, and stared down at the floor for a moment. That concerned Horatio. Something was obviously bothering the young man. Was he really OK with Calleigh?

"Dad?" Kyle asked hesitantly, looking up at into his father's inquisitive gaze. He took a deep breath. "There's a couple things that… I really need to tell you."

"OK," Horatio replied, hoping to hide the growing worry he was feeling at his son's change in demeanor. Whatever Kyle had on his mind, it was serious.

"Eric told me what happened to you," Kyle began. "He wanted me to hear it first-hand, get the facts straight, before I heard it anywhere else. And I'm glad that he did that, I really do appreciate it."

Horatio just stayed still and listened.

"But it also really scared me," he continued. "Because I've had some things that I really wanted to tell you… for a while. But… I don't know… I just… never found the right time. And then, to think that something had happened to you, and that maybe I would never get the chance… it scared me."

"That's understandable Kyle," Horatio said gently.

The young man nodded, and took a deep breath. "So I'm just going to tell you now, OK?"

"OK son, go ahead," came the soft response.

Kyle took another deep breath, and took the plunge.

"From the minute you found out I was your son, you did everything you could to help me. You took care of me. You protected me. You were there for me. I had never had anybody care about me at all before that. But you did. You really did. I would never have survived any of that mess… without you."

Horatio felt a huge lump forming in his throat. He swallowed hard, his emotions beginning to rise.

Kyle was beginning to get emotional as well.

"And… I _never_ said thank you. I never did," his son's pale blue eyes were swimming with heartfelt sincerity. "So I'm saying it now. Dad, thank you."

Horatio felt his heart surge with emotion for his son. Before he could say anything, Kyle kept talking.

"And I've made a lot of mistakes, I know that," he forged on, but looked down at the floor. "But there's one that's way bigger than all the others."

Kyle took a minute to gather his strength before continuing, vowing to himself to verbalize what he wanted to say without breaking down and bursting into tears.

"You remember that day, after my trial, when I had to choose you or Mom?"

Horatio remembered it all too well. He remembered feeling like his heart had been torn from his chest and run over by a truck. But when his soon looked up at him, he merely nodded, staying quiet, letting Kyle keep talking.

"I never should have chosen her," he said, his voice beginning to break just a little. "I don't know, it's just… being bounced around all those foster homes, I never knew anything about you. All I could remember was her. And I missed her _so much._ I thought about her every day. That maybe one day, she'd come back for me. And then, all the sudden, there she was… I just wanted to be with her… But... I never should have done that to you."

"Kyle," Horatio began, but his son wasn't quite done yet.

"No, Dad… look…" the boy interrupted. "When we were driving away, in Mom's car… Before we left the parking lot… I looked in the mirror…"

Kyle had to stop, and his father watched as the young man struggled to keep himself under control and finish what he had started. But Horatio was struggling with his own emotions as well.

"And… I saw you… standing there on the courthouse steps," Kyle plowed on. "Staring down at the ground. You looked so… _hurt._ And I will never forget that. I did that. I hurt you. After everything you did for me, I jumped into a fancy car with a crazy woman and drove off and left you."

Kyle couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They began to flow freely, sliding down the young man's cheeks.

"I am _so_ sorry Dad," Kyle said, his voice breaking. "I should have picked you. I should've."

"God, Kyle," Horatio breathed, his own eyes welling up, threatening to spill over at any second. "Come here, son," he said, reaching his arm out.

Kyle got up, swiping some tears away, and hugged his Dad around the neck, being careful to avoid his injured back. Horatio wrapped his arm around his son and squeezed him tightly.

"I love you Dad," Kyle sobbed.

"I love you too son," came the choking reply.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, before Kyle released his hold, and sat on the edge of the bed, still wiping the tears away.

"Listen to me, Kyle," came his Dad's deep, rich voice. "You should not feel guilty about wanting to be with your Mother. She's your Mom. I don't blame you at all for that. Absolutely not at all. And neither should you. OK?"

Kyle nodded, sniffling.

"The important thing is," Horatio continued, "that you're here now."

"Yeah, I know," Kyle said, taking a shaky deep breath. "But, I had to tell you. I had to."

He saw his Dad smile warmly at him. "And I'm glad you did."

After a few quiet moments, Kyle broke the warm silence.

"So, where do you think Calleigh went?" he asked his Dad.

"I have no idea," came the honest reply.

They both caught the wafting scent of food, apparently the evening food service was about to be distributed.

"Why don't I go find her? She's gonna miss dinner."

Horatio smiled and nodded. Kyle stood up, then abruptly lunged back towards his father, and hugged him again. "I'm glad we had time to talk," he said before releasing his Dad.

"Me too."

Horatio watched his son turn and disappear out into the hallway, and smiled to himself, his heart swelling with emotion. He knew that he had another dose of painkillers coming soon, as well as another dreadful back treatment.

But he also knew that very shortly, the two people that he loved more than anything else in this world would be walking back through that door, together, to be with him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It didn't take long for Kyle to find Calleigh. A few minutes walking along the winding, carpeted corridors and he spotted her, talking to a rather young-looking Doctor. She was smiling at the man, but her posture and body language clearly conveyed that a serious, non-nonsense conversation was taking place.

He began to hear their words as he got closer, quietly coming to a stop just behind Calleigh.

"OK, just so there's no misunderstandings Dr. Hendricks," Calleigh told the man in the white coat in a polite but very firm tone. "You need to be _very _gentle with him. Announce your intentions, don't startle him, and for heaven's sakes, unless it is absolutely necessary…_do not_ touch him. I see anything like the behavior which that idiotic Doctor Warren displayed… and trust me… there is gonna be serious trouble. Not only for you, but for this entire hospital. Are we clear?"

The good Doctor felt as though he were facing down a growling Florida bobcat with a cub at her side. "Absolutely clear, Miss Duquesne," he responded calmly and sincerely. "I understand completely. There won't be any problems, I can assure you."

Calleigh flashed him a brilliant smile. "There better not be."

Making a polite exit, the Doctor was only too happy to turn and walk away.

Calleigh turned back around as well, and became alarmed when she saw the red eyes and traces of tears on Kyle's face.

"Kyle, what happened, what's wrong? Talk to me…"

"Nothing, Calleigh, nothing, it's OK," he stammered quickly, swiping the last remnants of tears from his eyes. "Everything's OK, really. Dad and I had some things to talk about, and... I… got a little emotional. It's OK. He's OK. He wanted me to come and find you, dinner is coming around. What was that all about with that Doctor?"

"There was a little issue with an asshole Doctor upsetting your Dad this morning and…" she halted mid-sentence, gave him a sheepish look and added a soft, "Sorry, excuse my language."

"Oh, no problem," Kyle offered lightheartedly. "Look, I've spent time in jail. Believe me, swearing doesn't even phase me."

She smiled. "Still, rather un-lady-like. Anyway, I booted that guy out of the room, and I just wanted to make sure that Horatio's new Doctor understood some basic ground rules."

The young man nodded. "Cool."

Kyle was delighted that someone as pretty as Calleigh was also strong willed and tough enough to stand up to anyone that might threaten his Dad. Nothing bad was going to happen to him as long as she was around.

"Come on. Your Dad's probably wondering where we are," Calleigh said warmly.

Calleigh draped her arm comfortably over Kyle's shoulder as they walked back to Horatio's room together, and they arrived just in time to see the nurse wheeling in the food.

Horatio looked up at Calleigh and his son when they walked in and gave a warm smile. The two people who meant more to him than anything else on this entire planet were now standing right in front of him.

"Enjoy your meal Mr. Caine," the nurse said pleasantly as she turned to leave the room. "We'll give you your pain meds and treat your back after dinner service is over."

Horatio closed his eyes and sighed. He cursed inwardly. He wished like hell that they wouldn't tell him shit like that just before he was going to eat. Now he could lay there and get to think about it the whole damn time.

But he knew he would get through it. Calleigh would be there. And he did have to admit, every time they treated him, it definitely hurt, but every time was getting just a little less painful than the last time.

Kyle plopped down in the big chair beside the bed, Calleigh sat down in bed next to Horatio who was propped up on one elbow, and the three of them chatted comfortably as the hospital fare was consumed.

Once dinner was over, the nurse brought Horatio his pain meds.

A little bit later, Kyle watched as a different nurse came into the room with a jar of blue gel, and he saw his Dad's expression instantly change and get very serious. He saw Calleigh respond immediately as she laid down and pulled his father close to her, and he wrapped his arms under her and completely embraced her body.

He sat and silently observed as his Dad closed his eyes, hugged Calleigh tightly and took a deep breath, bracing himself. The nurse said something quietly, and permission was given. The nurse then reached out and touched his injured back, applying the salve.

Kyle winced slightly as he saw his father jump and grunt softly at the contact. But then he heard Calleigh's voice, whispering and soothing, and running her hands through his Dad's hair. And he saw the calming effect it had. It was over soon enough, but he could see the heavy toll it had taken on the patient. And when he finally saw his father open his eyes, he could tell that there was just as much exhaustion as there was relief.

Kyle thought it would be a good time to give them both some sleep time, not to mention a little privacy.

"Dad," he said gently, and saw the fuzzy gaze from his father's crystal blue eyes. "You need to get some rest, and I can tell you're in very good hands."

He was rewarded with a tired smile.

"I'm gonna go now, but I'll see you tomorrow, OK? You get some sleep."

"OK son," came the near mumbled reply. "Love you."

"I love you too Dad."

He looked up and gave Calleigh a warm smile. "Goodnight Calleigh."

"Goodnight Kyle," she answered tiredly. "See you tomorrow."

Kyle left, and the room went quiet.

Calleigh was sure that Horatio had fallen asleep, his body had relaxed against her and his breathing was slow and regular.

She laid back and reflected on all the events of the last couple of days, and felt a warm rush of emotion and love rush through her heart. It was all so unbelievable. She felt so privileged to be able to share a deep, mutual love with this wonderful man in her arms.

But the actual words were still frightening. "_I love you." _She felt them, but when should she say them? Horatio had been through such a major trauma, and he was only just beginning to start healing. She remembered the conversation they had, about all this happening so fast… Was she absolutely sure that he felt the same way? Was she sure that it wasn't just the meds and the pain?

The mental debate team began tuning up inside her head once again, demanding hard facts, logic, and full rationalization. She closed her eyes and quickly dismissed the clamoring internal chatter. _Damn it,_ she thought. _Stop doubting. Stop questioning. Just follow the evidence… and listen to your heart…_

She very gently ran her hand along the side of Horatio's face, and felt him turn his head ever so slightly, and place a slow, tender kiss on the palm of her hand.

She couldn't stop the tiny soft moan from escaping her throat. All doubt was completely obliterated. That one small gesture had just spoken volumes.

She took a deep breath and drifted off to sleep, smiling contentedly, and holding the man she loved…


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The night passed by comfortably and uneventfully. The two slept deeply, arms wrapped securely around each other. When he awoke, it was still very early. So he just laid quiet and still in Calleigh's warm and gentle embrace, listening to her soft, rhythmic breathing, and reveling in the sensuous feel of her body against his.

The Miami sun rose quickly, and soon the room was bathed in gentle hues of soft, muted sunlight. He felt Calleigh gently stir beneath him, and knew she was waking up. He heard her yawn and take a deep breath. He tightened his arms around her slightly, and felt her reach up and run a gentle hand through his hair. He moaned softly in response. He silently wished that every single morning could be just like this one…

The hushed quiet of the morning was disrupted as the first wave of deliveries was wheeled into the room on a small multi-level cart. It was the first of many. Throughout the day, Horatio's room began to quickly fill up with numerous cards, hearty plants, tastefully arranged flowers, and arrays of balloons. All from well-wishers that were not only from the multitudes at the Miami Police Department, but also included a healthy batch of Judges and Attorneys throughout Dade County. And in addition to all of those, the cards and gifts also ranged in impressive numbers from New York to Las Vegas, and even as far away as California.

At Horatio's request, Calleigh would get up and cheerfully but methodically make her way around the room every time a new batch of deliveries came in, reading the cards and thoughtful 'Get Well' wishes to him. He was nearly overwhelmed at the sheer volume of the incoming flood of sincere prayers, thoughts and well-wishes. He was genuinely moved.

Breakfast was served, along with a fresh dose of pain meds. Calleigh sat next to him on the bed and they chatted as he ate heartily. He was actually feeling good. Markedly better than yesterday.

As soon as the food trays were cleared away, the doors slid open and a tall, young-looking man in a white coat entered, and stopped respectfully at the foot of Horatio's bed. Calleigh flashed him a smile, but her eyes conveyed a look of warning and caution.

"Good Morning Mr. Caine," he said brightly, then nodded to Calleigh, "Ma'am."

Calleigh nodded back.

"I'm Doctor Hendricks, and I've been recently assigned to you," he said pleasantly, addressing Horatio. "I understand that there were some… issues with your previous Doctor. Please be assured that _nothing_ like that will happen with me. Now, I am intending to just take a look at your back, and to see how you're healing. And, unless we talk about it first, I will _not_ touch you. Would that be OK Sir?" The young Doctor stood rooted to his spot, not daring to approach without definitive permission.

Horatio turned and cast a very inquisitive gaze at Calleigh. She raised her eyebrows, and her face took on a completely surprised and innocent expression.

"What?" She asked coyly.

He couldn't suppress a light smile. So that's where Calleigh had gone when Kyle was here. He could almost picture her getting right up in the poor guys face and sternly spelling out the rules he was to follow. So with a light huff of humor at the imagined scene, he turned back to the waiting doctor. His heart glowed with a radiant warmth at the thought of her quietly coming to his aid once again, protecting him.

"Sure. Thank you Doctor. That will be fine. Go ahead." Horatio was completely relaxed as the Doc walked slowly and deliberately up behind him, nervously glancing between his patient and the carefully watchful eyes of the pretty blond woman with him. Horatio rolled further over on top of Calleigh, to give the man a better view of his injured back.

"OK, Mr. Caine," the man said, focusing intently on Horatio's back. "Wow. You're doing really, really well. A lot of the swelling has gone down, and… yeah, there's a few places where the skin was broken, but I believe that if there's any scarring at all, it will be quite minimal. You're healing extremely well Sir."

Horatio breathed a heavy sigh of relief at the good news.

The doc walked back to the foot of the bed and scribbled some notes on Horatio's chart before hanging it back on the bed rail.

"Do you have any questions? Concerns?" The young Doctor asked Horatio, then looked directly at Calleigh. "Everything OK?"

This time even Calleigh couldn't suppress a genuine and relieved smile.

She glanced at Horatio, then back at the waiting Doc. "Everything's fine, thank you," she answered cheerfully.

"OK, good. Depending on how well you progress over the next day or so, we could start talking about when you can go home."

And with that, the nice young Doc smiled, nodded, and turned and left the room.

_Home._ Horatio thought. The idea sounded wonderful, on the surface. But it also meant that he would be someplace where Calleigh wasn't. And that saddened him deeply. Now that he finally had the woman of his dreams by his side and lying in his arms 24/7, he was extremely reluctant to let her go.

Calleigh saw the change in his mood immediately.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked him seriously, her voice heavy with concern.

He struggled for a few moments, trying to search for the right words, and not sound like he was begging or overly needy. But, then he thought, _screw it. I don't care how I sound. I just want her with me._

He looked up, and gazed into her lovely green eyes. "Calleigh, when they send me home, would you… " he halted briefly, his surge of emotion nearly choking him up, "would you… come and stay with me? Just for a while? OK?"

The open sincerity in his voice and the near pleading look in his eyes made her heart melt.

"Of course I will," she answered warmly. "Horatio, there's nothing on this earth that could possibly keep me away." She reached up and put her hand against his cheek. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. It gave him the surge of confidence that he needed…

When he opened his eyes and looked at her again, she could see all the deep gratitude and raw emotion swimming in those crystal blue eyes. Then she saw something else…

He took a deep breath before he spoke…

"Well then… in light of that new information," he spoke slowly, his rich voice growing sultry and deep. "I… have a plan." She saw the impish sparkle in his eyes, as a slight wry smile curved his lips. He looked at her slightly sideways, that classic Horatio gaze that she knew so well. She was delightedly giddy to see it again. Clearly, he really _was_ feeling better.

"Oh, you have a _plan,_ do you," she asked, heavily flirting right back.

He nodded, still smiling knowingly. "Indeed I do."

"Hmm. Well, would you are to share, handsome?"

His expression changed slightly, and got more serious. He slowly rolled over onto her again, pinning her to the hospital mattress, but supporting himself on his elbows. She laid back readily, and felt his hands softly cradling her face, sensually caressing her cheeks and gently brushing a few stray strands of her soft blonde hair away. She felt as though she would absolutely melt under his touch. She gazed up at him and saw in his sparkling blue eyes the most deeply loving expression she had ever seen.

He leaned down and spoke soft and low into her ear. She could feel his hot breath tickling her neck.

"Calleigh, sweetheart… Our first kiss… our _real_ first kiss… I want that to happen… in the middle of my bed," his voice was so deep and rich, it was almost like a lion purring in her ear. "You're going to be as naked as I am right now. And I am going to be healthy enough to do much more than just kiss you. But that's where I'm going to start…"

"Oh, God, Horatio," she breathed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Oh, I really, really like your plan…"

She was flushed with desire at the sound of his soft sultry words, but also recognized and respected his left-handed bid for privacy. He didn't want things to escalate out of control here in this hospital room, in such a public place. No. He wanted their affections and passions for each other to be shared privately. And when he was closer to full strength. And what more perfect place than in his own bedroom?

True to form, the doors slid open and a now-familiar nurse came in to treat Horatio's back. It actually went pretty well. He jumped and flinched a few times, and still clenched his teeth, but he was definitely improving.

Calleigh held him in her arms, and once the nurse was finished and left the room, she felt his lean body fully relax against her with a heavy sigh. She ran her fingers through his soft red hair and closed her eyes as she replayed his sensual words in her head.

She couldn't wait for the Doctor to tell them when he could go home…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The morning passed along contentedly. Right after lunch, Kyle re-appeared and told them both that he had gotten off shift early, and was planning to spend the entire rest of the day right there with his Dad. Calleigh smiled warmly at the young man, and after some casual chatting between the three of them and making sure that Horatio was comfortable; she decided to let the two men indulge in some father-son time. She used the opportunity to make a quick trip home, freshen up and grab a change of clothes. Thinking that she should probably plan for the soon-to-come future of her going home with Horatio, she quickly threw together some basic essentials into an overnight bag, making sure to include her laptop and power cord.

She cruised quickly around her high-rise condo, making sure all the windows and doors were secure. She emptied anything questionable from the fridge, and dumped the garbage into the hallway chute. Then she set the thermostats to vacation mode and checked her mail. Finally satisfied that everything was in order, she grabbed her bag, shut off the lights, locked the door, and headed back to the hospital.

Upon arriving back at Horatio's room, she saw that Eric and Ryan were there visiting, along with Kyle, who was still occupying the big armchair next to his Dad's bed. They all said Hi and exchanged warm pleasantries when she came in, and it was shortly thereafter that she was met with quite a surprising sight… Horatio was sitting up in his bed, chatting with everyone, and was actually wearing a hospital gown. She blinked a couple times, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks, but nope, they weren't. It was covering his chest, and was only tied lightly at his neck, so nothing was actually touching his back, but it still was a big step. Kyle must've helped him…

He looked over at her when she walked in and smiled, and she looked deeply into his eyes. She could see immediately that although he was putting up a very brave front, this was all consuming a huge amount of his energy, and he was nearing his limits.

Fortunately, Ryan and Eric were just getting ready to leave anyway, so they both exchanged a few more well wishes with Horatio, and shared some hugs with Calleigh, then turned and left the room. Before Calleigh could say anything, Kyle piped up.

"Hey, Calleigh," he said as he stood up. "Glad you're back. Look, um, I was going to head down to the cafeteria, I'm starved. Besides, you guys probably want a little alone time." He flashed her a sincere but knowing smile. "You want me to bring you something?"

She smiled warmly at the thoughtfulness of the young man who was so much like his father.

"Thank you Kyle," she replied appreciatively. "You are so sweet. You go on and get something to eat, and you can bring me back whatever you think looks good."

"OK, cool," Kyle said, and reached out and squeezed his father's hand. "Back in a bit Dad," he said before heading out the door.

Once they had the room to themselves, Calleigh sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Wow, look at you," she said, he green eyes sparkling.

He smiled back at her tiredly. "Yeah. But I've had about enough. Help me get this off?"

"Sure," she said sweetly. She moved closer and leaned towards him, wrapping her arms gently over his shoulders and carefully finding the small knot holding the gown. His own hands reached out and slid up her hips before settling comfortably on her waist. He gently laid his head against her shoulder.

"I missed you," he whispered.

She easily loosened the small fabric ties, and slid the lightweight gown from his shoulders and down along his arms. He let go of her just long enough to allow her to completely remove the garment from between them.

He reached for her again, and Calleigh was just about to say something, when the doors slid open and Dr. Hendricks entered the room. They both turned to look at him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Caine… Ma'am," he said, still very cautious and respectful. "Just making my rounds. OK if I take a look at your back, Sir?"

Horatio nodded, and the young doctor moved around to the other side of the bed and checked the healing red marks on his back.

"You're doing very well Mr. Caine," he said positively. "Barring any complications, which I don't expect, I believe you can probably start planning to go home in a couple of days, certainly by the end of the week. You're doing great."

"Thank you," Horatio replied, somewhat sleepily.

The doc moved back to the end of the bed. "I would not advise you going home alone, and I would venture to assume that that's not going to be case, am I correct?"

"He won't be alone," Calleigh answered warmly.

"Excellent," the doctor replied with a grin. He made a few notes on the chart, hung it on the bedrail, and left the room.

When they were finally alone again, Calleigh turned back to face him.

"Hey," she said, tenderly cupping his cheek in her warm hand. "I missed you too. But the good news is, I took care of everything at my place, threw together a few things, and I am now completely yours, 24-7. Including going home with you whenever they let you out of here."

He smiled and leaned into her soft touch. But despite feeling so good, Horatio was looking more and more tired by the minute. He was struggling to keep his eyes open. He made an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a yawn. She checked the clock, there would be plenty of time to get a nice, restful nap in before the next back treatment was due.

Horatio closed his eyes, and reached up and put his hand over hers, pressing it tighter against the side of his face. He turned head and kissed the palm of her hand with a loving smile.

Calleigh gently maneuvered herself into their now very familiar position and pulled him down on top of her.

"Come here, Handsome, you need some rest."

He slid his arms around her and sighed contentedly. She felt his weight slowly settle onto her, warm and comfortable. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close as he slipped into a deep, restful sleep.

Her mind began to wander towards the day when the hospital would be releasing him, and they would be heading home… his home… together. It was now literally, right around the corner.

She was really looking forward to taking care of him… in more ways than one…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The vague and sketchy news of a vicious attack being committed against Miami's well known and iconic Lieutenant Horatio Caine at the hands of two brutal and notorious criminals had caused quite a stir in the Greater Miami area. With the lack of concrete facts, it had incited all of the media's various grapevines to continually churn out all kinds of rumors and suppositions. But the press as a whole had been given no details, so the rumors that were circulating began growing wilder and wilder as time progressed.

The Police Department, working in total conjunction with the hospital, had kept Horatio completely sequestered and protected from the hordes and throngs of clamoring cameras and insistent reporters that consistently gathered on the front steps of the hospital every day, eagerly awaiting any kind of official news or statement. They would barrage the hospital spokesperson with a thousand questions at once, wanting any information at all on the Lieutenants condition. But time after time, they were all turned away with vague statements such as "he's recovering…" and "no further comment…"

Everyone was eventually shooed away from the hospital doors, and reluctantly disbursed, wholly unsatisfied. Their frustrations and creative minds were continuing to feed the rumor mills at a fevered pitch, conjuring up some of the most bizarre and macabre scenarios imaginable. No detailed information had been released on Horatio's condition, only statements that the perpetrators had been killed by Police during the raid/rescue mission. Their identities had not been released. And absolutely no access whatsoever had been granted to any reporters to even get as close as Horatio's floor in the hospital, much less his room. So far, they had all been brilliantly accomplished in their goal of keeping Horatio completely oblivious to the whipping maelstrom taking place just outside the hospital doors.

However, no media blackout is ever completely successful… no matter how well planned or well intentioned. Something always leaks, somehow, somewhere, no matter how innocent it may seem…

_**Back in Horatio's room…**_

Horatio stirred slightly in Calleigh's warm embrace, and took a deep breath which he slowly exhaled. He had enjoyed a very restful nap, but the smell of food once again roused him from his slumber, making his stomach growl. He fluttered his eyes open, and while he laid there, basking in the warmth of Calleigh's tender embrace, he was also rewarded with the sight of his son returning to the room, managing a delicate balancing act with both arms, which were both carrying short stacks of white styrofoam containers laden with food.

Still keeping her arms wrapped around Horatio's neck, Calleigh also half-sat up at the young man's approach. Her eyes went wide at the volume of food being set down before them both.

"Oh my God, Kyle," she said, nearly chuckling at the sight. "How much food did you bring up here? Is there anything _left_ in the cafeteria?"

"Well, you said to bring whatever looked good," Kyle replied with an amused grin. He put his hands out and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "And honestly, it all looked pretty good…" He began to open up all the containers to allow a full survey of their contents.

Calleigh did actually giggle a bit, then so did Kyle. Even Horatio could not suppress a light chuckle.

"Thank you, son," Horatio huffed, still smiling.

"No problem Dad," he answered lightly. "So. Let's eat."

The three of them all dug in, sampling this and that, stabbing and sharing and devouring various morsels until nearly everything was gone.

The mood in the room was an easy and comfortable one. Kyle and Calleigh were sharing some work-related story, which Kyle was relating in a very animated manner. And while he leaned back and listened, Horatio took a moment to look at the two people in the room with him. These two people meant more to him that anything on this earth. And he realized how grateful he was, and how incredibly fortunate. Who would have thought that such a brutal assault against him could have resulted in such a wonderful turn of events?

He took a deep breath and his eyes sparkled as he continued listening to his son's story, and his heart warmed as he allowed himself to fully appreciate how relaxed and happy everyone was, including himself. Right now, his world was a warm and comfortable place… Completely sheltered…

_**Outside the hospital…**_

The dark blue van chugged to a stop as it pulled against the curb, the rich blue smoke of a poorly running engine spewed into the air behind the heavily worn vehicle. Even in the brilliant hues of Miami's rich glowing sunset, the dark tinted windows revealed nothing of the truck's interior. Completely unnoticed by anyone, the engine chugged out a mild coughing fit before settling into silence just as the headlights went dark.

Now parked quietly just across the street and a few cars down, the driver had an unobstructed view of the main entrance doors of Miami Dade Memorial Hospital. The driver trusted the information that had been unexpectedly shared. Now it was just a waiting game. Horatio Caine would be released soon. It was only a matter of time before the red-headed Lieutenant would emerge from those very doors_…_

_Just wait… and watch… and be ready…_

The driver slunked down into the worn, threadbare seat and got as comfortable as possible, the piercing set of vengeful eyes never leaving the sliding glass hospital doors…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Horatio," Calleigh pleaded, quickly running a hand through her long blond hair. This discussion was now bordering on an argument, and she was becoming more and more frustrated. "Please stop being so stubborn. Let me call in some extra security."

But, again, he just shook his head no. "Unnecessary. Calleigh, I'll be fine. The people who attacked me are both dead, so obviously they're not a threat. And the hospital hasn't told the press that I'm being released. So there is no reason for calling out the damn National Guard."

Calleigh closed her eyes and took a minute to regroup, and gather her wits. Time to change tactics. She had been restless all night, ever since his Doctor had wandered in just after yesterday's dinner and told them that Horatio would be going home the next day. Like it was some casual off-hand comment. She could've strangled him. While she was delighted to have Horatio heading home, there was a hell of a lot to do, and now it was all falling squarely on her shoulders.

Calleigh could feel her stomach getting tighter and tighter, dozens of different terrible scenarios of what 'could happen' tumbling through her head at lightning speed. And Horatio's flat refusal to allow extra security was really pushing her buttons. He was completely downplaying the severity of the situation, and she was getting nowhere in convincing him otherwise.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, fixing them squarely on the brilliant blues calmly gazing back at her.

"Yes, the people who hurt you are dead, that's true," she said evenly. "But you know full well that those are _not_ the only two enemies you have on this planet. Horatio… there are a lot of other bad guys out there who would love to catch you at a vulnerable moment. Like, say, between the hospital's front doors and the Hummer at the curb?"

"Calleigh…" Horatio began, but the shrill tone of her cell phone ringing interrupted him. She angrily grabbed the annoying thing from her pocket, imminently regretting all of the time and effort she had taken to get it charged up again. But she was immediately relieved to see '_Eric'_ on the caller display.

Thinking quickly, she said "I've got to take this," and turned and hurriedly left Horatio's room.

As soon as she was out in the hallway and saw the doors had slid shut behind her, she punched the '_ANSWER'_ button on her phone.

"Eric, I need your help," she said quickly. The voice on the other end was immediately alarmed.

"_What? Why? What's going on Cal? What do you need?"_

"I need you here. And bring Ryan too. Good news is, Horatio is doing better, so much so that he's being released to go home today. Bad news is, that mile-wide Caine stubborn-streak is in full force. He won't let me call in any extra security. Eric, he's going to be open and vulnerable. And both he and Kyle could be at risk. So I need all the extra eyes I can get. We can't let anything happen to either one of them."

"_Alright… No problem Cal. We'll be there. Is Kyle there now?"_

"No. He went over to Horatio's place to pick up some comfortable clothes for his Dad to go home in. He should be back pretty soon though, and the Doctors are thinking Horatio will be released within a few hours."

"_OK," _Eric answered. Then his tone got very serious. _"Listen to me… We'll be there Calleigh. We're coming. Don't do anything or let anyone go anywhere until we get there. We're gonna make sure nothing happens to ANY of you. Got me?"_

"Yeah… I got you," Calleigh answered. She closed her eyes for a moment in relief. "Thank you," she added, her voice heavy with gratitude.

She hung up her phone and went back inside the room. She knew this was as stressful for Horatio as it was for her, and she wanted to help him, not make matters worse. So she decided to give up trying to argue with him. She sat on the edge of his bed and put her hand comfortingly over his.

"Okay, you win" she said softly, wistfully rolling her eyes. Looking into those soft blue eyes, her heart just melted, every time. There was no way she could stay upset with this man. "No 'National Guard'."

Horatio sighed and his featured softened a bit.

"But," she added firmly, "Eric and Ryan are both going to be here. Just to be safe."

The crystal blue eyes looked down for a moment, then back up, and sparkled as he gave her a slight grin. "Okay."

Kyle did return shortly after that, with what he knew was one of his Dad's most comfortable 'around-the house' shirts, as well as his favorite pair of well-worn jeans.

Without missing a beat, Calleigh watched as Horatio casually picked up the shirt from his son's hands, like it was no big deal, and before anyone could offer any help to him, he bravely slipped it over his head and pushed his arms through the short sleeve holes. He caught his breath and winced slightly as he slowly eased the fabric over his torso and the soft cotton lightly brushed against his back.

Calleigh moved in and put a soft hand against his face. She saw the mild shades of pain in his eyes as he looked up at her, but she appreciated the brave face he was putting on. He was bracing himself, knowing he would soon be once again in the public eye. Hopefully, only briefly.

"It's only until we get you home," she said quietly. "Okay?"

He nodded, keeping his teeth lightly clenched. This was the first time since his assault that anything had ever actually touched his injured back, and so far, he felt that he could handle it. It was uncomfortable, but manageable. A few minutes later, a multi-tiered cart was wheeled in, and a couple of nurses helped load up all the plants, cards, and various gifts from the room. Shortly after that, a muscular male orderly appeared, pushing a wheelchair.

"Looks like it's time for you to go home Mr. Caine," the man said cheerfully.

Calleigh's cell phone chimed again, and she quickly answered. As she got the news that Eric, Ryan and the Hummer were all in position at the front doors, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she looked at Horatio and gave him a warm smile before giving a confident nod to the large male orderly. The big man helped ease Horatio into the wheelchair, and get him settled, and he didn't seem to mind the fact that the patient didn't want to lean back. They easily wheeled out and down the various carpeted hallways, then entered the elevators, and eventually rolled out into the main lobby, the warm mid-day Miami sun shining brightly overhead and flooding the entire entry way with brilliant white light.

Horatio could see the big silver CSI vehicle parked at the curb, and was quite relieved to see Ryan and Eric standing guard at the doors. Trundling along, the big glass doors slid open and the safety of the hospital cocoon was quickly melted away as he immediately felt the full effects of the heat and humidity of the hot Miami afternoon. The scorching 'outside world' blasted him with a cold reality check. For a moment, he questioned his stubborn decision about not having the extra security… he had to admit that he did feel rather vulnerable… and what about Kyle… maybe Calleigh had been right…

But the Hummer was right there…

_**Outside the hospital…**_

The driver watching the hospital doors was getting fidgety. This 'waiting for the moment' thing had sounded like a great idea at first, but it was getting old pretty quick. The pale woman sitting sentinel in the dark van started chewing on her almost non-existent fingernails, and bouncing her right leg nervously against the worn floorboards. The dark circles under her eyes were much more pronounced, made even more noticeable against the wispy pale blond hair, which was snarled and knotted, and badly in need of a good shampoo.

But she was determined to do this. This one thing. Kill Horatio Caine. The red-headed cop who had gunned down Zeke. Her beloved Zeke. She had never been able to do anything right in her entire life, but she was going to do this one thing right… She closed her eyes tightly as the voices began to rage in her head again…

"_Carol Ann! What is WRONG with you? Can't you do ANYTHING right?" Her Mother screeched. "We got ANOTHER call from the school Principal today! You're suspended AGAIN!" Her Mom's voice would keep getting louder and louder. "Fighting with other girls? Hanging out with those idiot boys? I swear girl, you don't have a brain in your head!" And then her Father would join in. "Why can't you be more like your sister Emily?" he hollered. "She's such a good girl. She never gave us this kind of trouble!" And then in addition to the screaming and yelling, she would inevitably feel the sting of a harshly striking hand, or the bite of a leather belt…_

She scrunched her eyes tighter, hunching further down into the dark van's seat, and eventually the noise in her head began to fade. That had been the story of her life. The bad one. The screw-up. Never measuring up to her goodie-two-shoes big sister, Emily, who had always been her parents' favorite. Emily… the fucking golden child. Carol Ann was nothing but the dirt under the porch next to her shining angel sister. And she had gotten so sick and tired of hearing all that "be like Emily" shit for as long as she could remember. So, just after her sixteenth birthday, she had run away, and ended up spending the next handful of years living on the back streets of Miami. And she had given up any hope of ever being like her brainiac sister. Instead, she slowly immersed herself deeper into the world of alcohol and crystal meth.

But then she met Zeke. And she had fallen head-over-heels in love. Sure, he was a hard-core gang-banger bad boy. And had a serious criminal record. But he was the only person in her entire life who had fully accepted, and even appreciated her for exactly who she was, and hadn't tried to change her. He said that he loved her. And she said that she loved him. And that was it. They quickly became completely inseparable. They got high together, they got drunk together, they got tattoos together. And they partied together like there was no tomorrow. She had told him that she would do anything for him. And that's when he had asked her to help him with that liquor store robbery…

Anger flooded her mind, and she struggled to control her rage, she began breathing quicker, and she started bouncing her leg faster and faster against the floor of the rickety van as the memory came rushing back to her...

The store owner had tripped an alarm, and the cops had come from everywhere. She was driving the get-away car, and the drugs in her body combined with the adrenaline rush pushed her to drive so wildly dangerous and insanely erratic that the police cars all backed off of their chase. All but one. When she had finally found what she thought was a good spot to bail out and run, there was that red-headed cop in the expensive suit, hollering at them to stop and get down and surrender. She saw it play out in her head like it was a slow motion video. Zeke had turned and fired his .44, and the cop fired back instantly. She watched in horror as her beloved Zeke fell to the ground and died, right in front of her. She was absolutely devastated.

After all was said and done, she had done her jail time, with only one thought keeping her going. Revenge. Now she was out, and she hadn't wasted any time getting fuelled up again on Jack Daniels and some quality meth.

Then, on a whim, she had decided to call her sister Emily, and ask her for some money. Her sister always caved in, she just had to tell her the right sob story. But when Emily didn't answer her cell phone, Carol Ann called her work number. The phone rang at the nurse's station on the 3rd floor of Dade Memorial Hospital, and Emily answered on the second ring.

When she heard her sister's voice, Emily knew immediately that the wreck of a woman on the other end was drugged up, and she got very angry. "Carol Ann," she hissed into the phone. "How many times have I told you not to call me here at work?"

Emily didn't hear the mumbled reply, as Doctor Hendricks walked up and informed her that she should make the preparations for Mr. Caine to be released. She replied with her standard professional "Yes Doctor," and then turned her attention back to her street waif of a sister on the phone. But there was only silence… the line had gone dead.

Carol Ann heard the brief exchange on the phone, and immediately hung up. She took a moment to fully process what she had just heard... and suddenly became elated! What a stroke of luck!

She had heard that the prick cop that she hated was in the hospital for some assault or something. But there were no details, no nothing, just the standard blah, blah, blah.

So she couldn't believe that she now had such dearly privileged information. This would be her chance. Her chance to do something right. For once. For Zeke.

So she had 'borrowed' this piece of shit truck from her druggie roommate while she was whacked out on the sofa, and then had managed to contact a couple of Zeke's old gang-banger pals, and had procured a fully loaded .45, which was now sitting on the floor in the ramshackle van, but within easy reach.

"_For Zeke…" _she mumbled to herself, she said, clawing restlessly at her own arms, and chewing further down into the quick on her battered fingernails.

But another hour or so slid by, then another, and Carol Ann continued to get more and more anxious. Slowly, her resolve began to slacken… battling against her need for a drink and a fix…

Tears began to fill her eyes, she couldn't wait any more… everything hurt… the voices were coming back… about to scream at her again… she reached for the key… had her fingers around it… she was going to go find the nearest bar and crawl inside a bottle, and never come out… _I'm sorry Zeke… _

But just then, she saw something that made her immediately refocus everything. A big silver Hummer pulled up in front of the hospital doors. "Crime Scene Investigation" was spelled out across the vehicle's side in big block letters. Carol Ann took her hand off the ignition key and sat up straight, her full attention now completely centered on the activities taking place. She briskly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and wiped them on her dirty jeans. What had she been thinking about? She couldn't remember. But she didn't care. Now she didn't care about anything else. Any thoughts of abandoning this venture were gone. _Zeke… For Zeke… _This was _it…_

She watched anxiously as two men got out and walked briskly inside. She could see a small clump of people slowly coming into view in the expansive hospital lobby, and through the big glass windows, her eyes darted around, back and forth, searching…

And then she saw his red hair. It was unmistakable. That was him. It was _him._ This was her chance…

She could see him… this was the man she had to kill… All other distractions were forgotten. She knew what she had to do…

_**Author's Note: Fear not! The next chapter is being furiously written and will be posted very soon! And Calleigh will eventually get Horatio home… and all alone...*sly grin*! I always LOVE any feedback & reviews! Thanks for reading!**_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

With her target sighted and her goal solidified, Carol Ann reached over and fished out a pair of oversized dark sunglasses from her purse and slipped them on. Then she leaned down and picked up her gun, cocked it, and pulled on the truck's aged door handle. The worn, dented door creaked on its hinges in protest as she shoved it open with her foot, and then it groaned again as she exited the van and forced it back shut. She felt her heart hammering in her chest as she slowly turned and walked across the street, trying her best to appear casual and calm. She saw the big glass doors of the Hospital slide open, and out rolled a wheelchair carrying her target. But the red-haired cop was surrounded by a small gaggle of people…

Undeterred, she strode towards them. She held her head slightly down as she approached, but her eyes were up, hidden by the large sunglasses, and completely focused on the CSI Lieutenant. The big .45 she was carrying was cradled snugly in her right hand, and she held it behind her, hidden from view at the small of her back…

She walked closer…

She closed the short distance quickly. She recognized the two guys who had arrived in the silver Hummer. But there were some other people nearby the wheelchair as well. A big guy nurse pushing the chair, a teenaged boy pushing a cart full of plants and shit, and some tall skinny chick with long blonde hair. That got Carol Ann's attention. The blonde was pretty. Very pretty. Carol Ann hated her immediately. It reminded her of her parents always comparing her to Emily, her 'pretty and perfect' sister. While she was always the ugly duckling. For a moment, her focus shifted away from the cop who had killed her lover, and rested singly on the blond woman…

Maybe she should shoot the pretty blonde bitch first…

_NO_, she shook her head, reprimanding herself. That bitch is not the target. Not today. It's him. Caine. _HIM. _HE shot Zeke…_ Focus…_

She barged towards her red-headed target with renewed determination, and once she felt she was close enough, she pulled her gun out from behind her back. She didn't bother with any kind of stable shooter's stance. She just kept walking forward, the .45 in her right hand, pointed at the man in the wheelchair, and began pulling the trigger of the big gun over and over…

Unfortunately, her focus had been so single-minded that she failed to recognize that her approach had NOT gone unnoticed. Both Eric and Ryan had seen the whacked-out druggie chick coming towards them from across the street. The fact that the crazy looking woman had one hand behind her back had immediately put both of them on high alert. But they had grossly underestimated her. Even though they had seen her, they didn't realize what a serious threat she was until it was almost too late. They weren't expecting such an insane onslaught of bullets…

Suddenly things began happening very, very fast…

"GUN!" Calleigh heard Eric scream, and the first of many shots rang out. Horatio was just getting up from the wheelchair and she lunged and tackled him, knocking him over and shielding his body with hers. They both landed prone on the rough cement. Instinctively, to avoid crushing the air from Horatio's lungs, Calleigh dug her elbows in, scraping them raw and bloody. Horatio also landed hard… and impacted the abrasive and unforgiving concrete surface… flat on his back. She heard the harsh grunt of pain from him as she tried to cover as much of his body as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryan had done a similar dive, covering Kyle. She also saw that the male orderly had effectively plastered himself to the ground as well.

The sound of multiple gunshots ripped through the air, and she heard the distinct sound of bullets hitting metal as several large caliber rounds tore into the side of the Hummer, just over their heads.

Thankfully, the gun battle was over almost as quickly as it started. The gunfire abruptly stopped. She heard Eric yelling "I got the shooter! Get H outta here! Go… go, go, GO!"

Ryan sprang up, and yelled at Kyle "Your Dad! Get your Dad in the Hummer! NOW!"

Calleigh sprang up as well, and the three of them picked up Horatio and all but threw him into the back seat of the big CSI Hummer, Kyle and Ryan leaping in after him, everyone keeping low.

"Stay down!" Calleigh yelled as she jumped in the driver's seat and twisted the key. The big 4x4 growled to life and she slammed her foot down on the accelerator, leaving huge tread marks on the pavement behind them as she flicked on the siren and lights.

As the Hummer roared away to safety and Calleigh was reaching for the radio to call for back-up, she saw in the mirrors that Eric still had his gun trained on the lifeless body of the pale blond shooter, approaching her carefully. But she could also see that there were several holes in the frail looking body, and a rapidly spreading blood pool. There was no doubt that the shooter was dead.

_Thank you God… _her thoughts raced. _And thank you Eric…_

There was a long stretch of tense silence inside the vehicle as it sped crazily through the Miami streets, siren screaming and lights flashing, putting precious distance between the hospital scene and the Hummer's occupants.

"Ryan, are you OK?" Calleigh finally asked loudly, still concentrating heavily on the task of driving the unwieldy large beast of a vehicle at breakneck speeds.

She heard Ryan respond with a muffled "Yeah!"

She never took her eyes off the road in front of her as she continued her barrage of questions.

"Ryan, is Kyle alright? How's Horatio? Is he OK? Is anyone hurt? Anyone got any holes in them? Come on, talk to me!"

The heavy truck careened around yet another corner at high speed, the tires squealing and struggling to maintain their grip on the pavement.

Ryan popped his head up, but had to quickly reach out and grab the headrest on the passenger seat to keep from being hurled against the Hummer's door as the pretty southern belle in the driver's seat jerked the truck nearly sideways once again. Calleigh jammed her foot down on the gas and hurtled the monstrous truck onto the freeway entrance ramp, weaving rapidly through the traffic, eyes focused intently ahead and hands gripping the wheel like a woman possessed…

"Um, Calleigh," Ryan said carefully, still clinging tightly to the headrest and speaking loudly enough to be heard over the wailing siren. "Everyone's OK, but that may change unless you slow down… just a little… OK?"

It took a second or two, but Ryan's message got through to her brain. Calleigh reached over and flicked off the blaring noise and lights, and had just begun to breathe a small sigh of relief and bring things back down to a normal speed, when she heard a sound from the back seat that nearly made her heart stop…

She heard Horatio moan…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Horatio was sprawled on his stomach in the back seat, feeling the big SUV accelerating and swerving violently as they sped away from the attempted shooting at the hospital. He was in quite a bit of pain, his back felt like it was on fire... but his sub-conscious guilty voice told him that he god-damn well deserved it. Actually, given the circumstances, it probably should have been much worse…

His current crescendo of pain was a direct result of the harsh impact with the abrasive concrete when Calleigh tackled him, shielding him from a would-be assassin, and quite probably saving his life. And Kyle's…

The whole scenario played out in his head, over and over… It had all happened so quickly… And he was absolutely furious with himself. The scene at the hospital could have been insanely disastrous. He knew full well how lucky he was… how lucky they all were… to still be alive and in one piece. The full realization hit him hard of how close he had just come to losing everything dear to him… losing everything he loved… _Again_…

Calleigh had been right to want more security. Absolutely right. And like an idiot he had stubbornly refused. He knew he had truckloads of enemies. How had he let himself lose touch with that reality? And any one of those hateful criminals could have been waiting out there… and could have killed him, or Kyle, or Calleigh, or anyone else for that matter. How could he have possibly allowed himself to become so fucking complacent?

He heard Ryan's voice imploring Calleigh to slow down just as the Hummer squealed around yet another corner, jostling him and briefly breaking his grip on the seat. The sudden surge of acceleration pushed him over on his side and shoved his tender back into the seat padding. The contact was short, but it brought a grunt of pain from him, and he grimaced and settled back into his stomach with a load moan.

"Dad?" He heard his son ask. Kyle was hunkered down on the floor behind the driver's seat. He could hear the serious level of concern in the young man's tone. "Dad? You OK?"

It was getting more and more difficult to think straight through the ever increasing level of pain he was feeling. Every inch of his injured back was screaming at him. "I'm… OK… son," he managed to say through clenched teeth. He felt Kyle's hand cover his own, and give him a reassuring squeeze.

"You just hang on Horatio," he heard Calleigh call from behind the wheel. "You're going to be alright. You're safe, and you're going to stay that way. You just hang on. You're going to be much more comfortable in just a little bit. Kyle, you keep an eye on your Dad, OK? The ride may get a little bumpy here."

"Yes, Ma'am," came the quick reply.

Ryan watched intently as Calleigh negotiated the freeway, expertly weaving through the mid-day traffic, lights and sirens silent. She had slowed some, but was still hurtling the big 4x4 monster down the road at heart-pounding speed. Then he made a realization… they were going the wrong way. They were headed _away_ from Horatio's house…

"Uh, Calleigh," he said cautiously. "This isn't the way to H's place."

"I know," she answered, her full concentration still focused on the road in front of her. "We're not going there. With that whole episode at the hospital, we have no idea who or what could be waiting for us there. It's just not safe. We need some time, and we need to keep Horatio and Kyle out of danger. We have to regroup and get all this mess figured out. So we're going to drop off the radar for a while. We're gonna be on our own, but right now, it's going to be much safer that way. Send a text message to Eric, and then shut your cell off."

Ryan nodded, seeing the logic in that plan of action, and appreciating the intelligence and quick adaptability of his long-time colleague in the driver's seat. He quickly complied with her instructions, and then made sure everyone's cell phone was turned off and powered down, effectively disabling any GPS tracking signals.

"OK, off the radar. Understood. But where exactly would that…" Ryan began the question, but happened to look over mid-sentence and see a slight smile spread across the pretty blonde's face. "Oh," he said with a slight grin of his own. "You already know exactly where we're going, don't you?"

This time Calleigh flashed a brilliant smile, but never took her eyes off the road. "Of course I do," she said, her voice betraying that sweet lilting southern accent. She pulled a small amber bottle from her pocket with one hand, and quickly handed it to Ryan before returning it to the steering wheel. "Here, these are Horatio's painkillers. Find some water and give him one, would you?"

"Sure." Ryan dug around and located a bottle of water, then gently maneuvered his injured boss into a position to swallow the fat white pill before helping settle him back down on the seat again.

The vehicle went quiet, except for the sound of the engine howling at high RPM and the tires whining against the pavement. They drove further and further away from the heart of Miami, until finally Calleigh pulled off the highway. The pavement quickly gave way to a rutted dirt road. Ryan guessed they were somewhere deep in the Everglades. The truck slowed as the full-time 4-wheel-drive took over, and it gently lurched several times here and there as the oversized wheels gripped the uneven and sometimes slippery road surface with confidence. Deeper and deeper into the murky and overgrown terrain they went, hearing the heavy fronds of thick vegetation thumping and scraping along the sides of the capable SUV. After a few miles of cautious travel, they reached a clearing, and a couple of buildings came into view. Ryan saw a small but rather well-built looking house with a modest-sized barn out back. There were no other vehicles around, and not a soul in sight. He marveled at the fact that such comfortable looking structures were out here, literally in the middle of nowhere, and also wondered how the hell Calleigh knew about them… But his questions would have to wait…

Calleigh pulled the SUV in front of the barn and shifted into Park, but left the engine running. "Kyle, stay with your Dad, be quiet, and stay down and out of sight. Ryan, this place should be deserted, but let's make sure," she commanded calmly before the two climbed from the relative safety of the vehicle. With their weapons drawn and their eyes darting everywhere, she and Ryan quickly took a visual survey of the immediate area. Satisfied, Calleigh hurriedly shoved the big barn doors open, hopped back into the truck and drove inside. Ryan quickly pulled the heavy doors shut behind them, effectively hiding the big CSI Hummer completely from sight, safely enveloped in the dark shadows of the barn.

The late afternoon sun was dipping ever further towards the horizon, and the sky was just starting to turn the pre-dusk colors of purple and orange as the two CSI's approached the front porch of the small house. Calleigh tried the front door, it was locked. Knowingly, she reached up over the top ledge of the rusty porch light, and her slender fingers found the key. The lock opened effortlessly and the two went inside, Ryan slightly ahead of her. The inside of the house was shrouded in darkness, heavy curtains and thick blinds covered every window. Ryan slowly progressed further into the room, eyes straining to adjust, as Calleigh groped along the wall. Finally finding the light switch, she flipped it up and the room was flooded with soft white light.

Ryan's heart immediately leapt into his chest and his mouth dropped open as he suddenly found himself surrounded by a myriad sets of piercing eyes, one set of which was staring menacingly at him from a hulking 6 foot tall figure, barely a foot in front of him.

"AAaaggghhhhh!" he howled, waving his weapon wildly in front of him as he stumbled backwards, his panicked feet skittering and trying to keep some solid ground underneath him.

"Ryan, no!" Calleigh yelled, and grabbed his shoulder as he backed into her, nearly knocking her over. "It's OK!"

With his eyes finally adjusting to the lights, he rapidly took another scan of the room and saw… animals. Everywhere. The floor, the walls, the shelves… And they were all stock still. They were stuffed!

He lowered his gun and took a deep breath.

"I am so sorry Ryan," Calleigh piped up, completely unable to suppress the amusement from her voice. "I am. Oh my God, I guess I should have warned you." She holstered her gun and put a hand over her mouth, trying in vain to stifle the rising giggles.

Ryan ran his tongue across his front teeth, and holstered his weapon as well, shrugging off the embarrassment.

"Yeah… um, no, Cal, it's um… it's fine," he said leveling a firm stare at her. "No problem. It's good," he cleared his throat and had to suppress a slight grin himself as he looked around the creature filled room once again. "It's just… taxidermy." No problem here."

"Let's get Horatio and Kyle in here," she said lightly, her green eyes still dancing with amusement.

"Excellent idea," Ryan replied enthusiastically.

The three of them helped a very drug-sleepy Horatio shuffle inside, and gently led him to the large bedroom just off the main living room with all the critters. With a hazy sigh, the tired red-head sprawled face down across the big comfy bed and was softly snoring almost immediately.

They left the door open so they could keep an eye on the sleeping man and make sure he stayed comfortable and safe. Before it got too dark, Ryan made a quick walk-around outside, verifying that the perimeter was secure. He was rather surprised to find an array of electronic sensors, all strategically located around the house and barn. He wondered where they originated from…

Everyone else was tired, but still way too jacked up and wired to even consider sleep. So while Horatio slumbered away, the small threesome hung together in the living room, beneath the multitude of blank staring animal eyes. Calleigh rummaged around and found some basic non-perishable food staples in the cupboard, and threw together a rather make-shift cold supper as night time slowly settled in.

"So," Ryan finally asked, sipping on a cup of some fresh but bitter black coffee. "Where the hell are we?"

Calleigh gave a small warm smile. "My uncle owns this place. Caleb Duquesne. He lives in Baton Rouge full-time, but he's had this place out here for years. He's a big time hunter, as you can tell," she waved her hand around the room. "He keeps the electricity on, and some basic supplies around, but he's only here maybe once a year or so, when something he wants is in season. This place is secure, defensible, and way off the beaten path. It was the safest place I could think of."

"Nice," answered Ryan, now looking around with appreciation at the mass assembly of animal faces that had scared the bejesus out of him earlier.

"I have to be honest though," Calleigh continued, somewhat sheepishly. "I haven't been here in ages. I wasn't absolutely positive I had the right place until we got inside here and I saw all his trophies."

Ryan gave her a look of mild disbelief, but the moment dissolved into light humor and smiles as everyone finally relaxed a bit and shared a collective sigh of relief.

There was a soft electronic chirp from a console next to the front door. Calleigh got up and examined it.

"The perimeter is secure," she said confidently. "Old uncle Caleb was never a trusting soul. There's a whole sensor alarm system completely surrounding the property. We'll know in a heartbeat if anything crosses those beams."

Ryan breathed another sigh of relief as he realized that those had been the sensors he had seen scattered around the property outside. Cool. Very cool.

Calleigh cleared the food from the table, and taking a look around at the rag-tag threesome, she assessed the situation. "OK, we all need some rest," she sighed. "But we stay together. And Horatio is never left alone. Nobody wanders off on their own, and we never leave each other's sight," she cast a careful but questioning look over at Kyle. "Agreed?" She asked firmly, raising one eyebrow.

"Agreed," came the collective reply from both of the males in the room. The two then turned and looked at each other with a light grin.

Kyle shifted his gaze to the sleeping form of his father in the other room, and his expression became more serious.

"Calleigh, you should stay with him," he said honestly. "He's used to that. Plus, you can protect him better. And he'll feel more comfortable if he wakes up and you're there."

She looked back and nodded her approval, seeing the young man at yet another new level of respect and admiration, her heart swelling with warmth.

Kyle nodded back, but then couldn't contain a huge yawn. He patted the oversized chair beneath him with his hands, then leaned back, picked his feet up, and burrowed himself further into its thick cushions. "I'm good right here."

Calleigh snagged a light throw blanket from a corner shelf, and returned to the boy, who was already fast asleep as she gently covered him up.

She looked up, and saw that Ryan was standing up, checking his gun. He slid the fully loaded magazine back into the weapon as he looked over at her. "Perimeter alarm system or not, I'll take first watch," he said matter-of-factly. "Go keep an eye on H and get some sleep. I gotcha covered."

"Why Mr. Wolfe," she said coyly. "I like the way you think."

She was attempting to banter, but Ryan could see how tired she really was. She had been running on pure drive and adrenaline for most of the day, and he knew she needed some rest. And Kyle was right; H needed her in there with him. It was the best place for her to be.

Calleigh checked her watch. "OK," she said tiredly. "But you come get me by 3. You need some sleep too."

He agreed, and watched as Calleigh walked into the bedroom, put her gun on the nightstand, and climbed into bed. He saw Horatio respond to her closeness. He shifted slightly, almost unconsciously, and proceeded to wrap his arms around the slender blonde's waist as she settled herself beneath his upper body. Calleigh wrapped her own arms gently around his neck and after a few soft caressing touches, she also drifted off to sleep.

Knowing the importance of his current duty, Ryan took up a position near the front door, where he had everyone inside in his line of sight, but could also peek behind the front curtains and get a good view outside. He was now responsible for the safety of everyone in this house. And nobody was going to get hurt on his watch…

_**Authors Note: THANK YOU to all who read & review! It is very much appreciated!**_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The night in their adapted "safe house" passed by uneventfully. Ryan kept his vigil, staying at the ready, while the others all slept deeply and peacefully. His senses slowly acclimated to his surroundings as the night progressed. He heard the air conditioning cycling on and off, keeping the cozy house at a comfortable temperature and humidity. He heard the low, even hum of the refrigerator, and the steady clicking and creaking of the hot water tank. All those internal sounds blended into a familiar rhythmic backdrop as the hours ticked by, allowing him to focus on the sounds outside.

Among the symphony of crickets and frogs and the myriad of other swamp creatures prowling in the night, Ryan fine-tuned his ears, listening intently, waiting to pick up even the slightest variation in the cacophony of noises. And once his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, the moonlight outside seemed like a floodlight, illuminating the area surrounding the house and the approaching rutted road well off into the distance. He could even see the perimeter alarm sensors, the small little ground-mounted sentries doing their job valiantly.

The only thing that still made him uncomfortable was the menagerie of glass eyes that seemed to be watching his every move. More than once, he cast a few furtive glances around at the multitudes of taxidermy trophies that covered the walls and crowded the floors. He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to surround themselves with so many stuffed dead animals. Regardless of who had killed them. And especially in such menacing poses… ready to pounce, claws showing, teeth bared… He shivered slightly, the damn things just gave him the willies.

Which is precisely why he ignored Calleigh's request to wake her up at 3 AM. There was no point in doing that. He knew he could never sleep with all those creepy critters staring at him. He glanced over into the bedroom and saw Calleigh and Horatio, the two figures almost wrapped around each other, and a warm smile graced his mouth. _She's with H… Right where she needs to be... _He thought to himself.

Finally, the first glow of dawn brushed the horizon, followed by gentle yellow rays of sunlight. Night faded away and the soft light of morning flooded into the little house and gently chased away the shadows.

Horatio woke up slowly, also waking Calleigh as he began to stir in her arms. He fluttered his eyes open and struggled to make sense of his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. He started to get concerned, as nothing looked familiar, but he relaxed immediately as he felt Calleigh's warm body pressed against his, their arms wrapped around each other. He was safe… _Safe…_

Gradually, all the events of the previous day began to return, the cobwebs slowly clearing out of his head and everything running through a full-motion playback...

Leaving the hospital, a crazy woman wildly firing a gun, everyone diving for cover, Calleigh tackling him to the ground and quite probably saving his life… It all came rushing back at him. And his guilt-laden anger at himself came crashing back with it. He had nearly gotten everyone killed…

But before he could get any further down that road, his thoughts were derailed by pain signals flooding into his brain, causing him to grunt softly and catch his breath. His back hurt like hell. He could tell that the harsh encounter he had experienced with the pavement had definitely left behind a few souvenirs. And although his shirt was light and soft, it felt like a cheese grater against his sensitive skin, and he just wanted it _off…_

Calleigh took a deep sighing breath and ran a soft hand gently through his hair as she awoke.

"Mmmm… Morning handsome," she whispered lovingly.

But then she heard him grunt and felt him tense slightly in her arms, and her voice and demeanor immediately grew concerned. She focused her complete attention on him as she asked, "Hey, you okay?"

"Back hurts," he answered simply.

"Okay, come here," she replied as she got serious and began to slowly untangle themselves from each other. "Let's get this shirt off you."

Horatio carefully sat up as Calleigh settled herself in front of him, and then helped him slowly ease the shirt off. He hissed slightly as the fabric lightly grazed across his back in the process. Then he gritted his teeth and went quiet.

"Let me see," she said as she moved around behind him. He quietly complied.

She winced silently as she saw the new red marks. They were just a few small abrasions from the concrete, but she knew they had to be exceptionally painful for him.

"Oooh, yeah, you've got a couple of fresh ones," she said quietly. "I'm sorry Horatio. I'm afraid those are my fault."

"No they're not," he snapped, his low tone startling her. "They're mine. And I deserve them. And because of me, everyone there nearly got bullet holes to go with them."

"Horatio…" she began, but he cut her off.

"No, damn it… You were right Calleigh," he said angrily. "You were right, and I was wrong..."

He hung his head and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "I don't know what the hell I was thinking. Stupid. God… so stupid and… stubborn. Christ. Kyle, you, Eric… Damn. I nearly got everybody killed."

Calleigh moved back around in front of him, fighting back her own anger and frustration.

She reached out and put a firm hand on his chin and pulled it up, mindful that the man she cared about so deeply was still in a great deal of pain.

"Look at me," she ordered, her voice low and even. "Horatio Caine, you look at me."

He reluctantly obeyed, and slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"Let's get something straight," she said forcefully. "What happened in front of the Hospital… that was not your responsibility, and it was certainly not your fault…"

She locked her eyes onto his and held his gaze unwaveringly. "It's mine…"

_***** Author's Note: I was really unsure about where to break with this chapter, but hopefully I've done OK... Please allow for the possibility of a slight revision as things progress…**_

_**Thanks for reading and as always, I welcome reviews!*****_


	19. Chapter 19

_***** Note: A hearty thank to all of you who have sent reviews. They are very sincerely appreciated!**_

Chapter 19

Horatio gave Calleigh a puzzled look. "What?" He asked her.

"It's my fault Horatio," she answered, briefly biting her lip. "I should have had more security there."

He shook his head. "I'm the one who said no, remember?"

Calleigh sighed. "Look, you are still in recovery from being hurt very badly. You're on pain meds. You were being released from the hospital. You weren't expected to be thinking clearly. That was up to me. I should have done more to protect you…"

"Whoa, you just stop right there," he said quickly, interrupting her. He reached out and put his hand over hers. "We both know you weren't about to go against my wishes. I'm the one who should never have been so damn stubborn. I kept you from following your own instincts, and I was wrong to do that. _I _should have listened to _you._" He paused for a moment before continuing. "And from now on, until I'm back to full strength, that's exactly what I'm going to do. No arguing with you. You're in charge, what you say goes. OK?"

She smiled warmly at him, her heart swelling with love and appreciation for the complete trust he was putting in her. She would make damn sure she didn't let him down. "Okay," she said softly.

Horatio shifted slightly on the bed and grunted softly as the motion brought a stab of pain from his back.

"Hey, let me get you a painkiller," Calleigh said, standing up quickly.

"No… I don't want one," he said firmly. "Those things make me too sleepy."

Calleigh stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, fixing a steady gaze on him. She didn't say a word. She just raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms, and waited.

Horatio finally looked up at her questioningly. "What? Calleigh, I just…" and he stopped himself, realizing what he was doing. What had he just said, not ten seconds ago? No arguments, right?

He huffed, and dropped his eyes with a resigned smile. He ran a quick hand over his face, and cleared his throat. Then looked back up at her.

"Okay," he said simply.

She flashed him a brilliant smile and turned and walked out of the room. He heard a round of softly spoken "Good Mornings" being exchanged, and then Calleigh was back, carrying a glass of water.

She sat down next to him on the bed and he obediently put his hand out. She dropped the pill into his palm and he looked at it as she handed him the water. It looked smaller than he remembered…

"It's only a half," Calleigh informed him. "It should be enough to take the edge off, but not make you feel too drowsy."

He gulped the pill down and handed her the glass back, his eyes sparkling appreciatively. "Thank you sweetheart," he said.

"You're welcome handsome," came the warm reply. Calleigh ran a gentle hand through his tussled red hair and down the side of his face. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of her loving touch. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the wonderful woman sitting beside him. She had completely captured his heart and soul. And he couldn't wait until his body was back to full strength again. There were so many ways he wanted to express his feelings for her…

Sparkling green eyes held his crystal blues, and the two shared a moment of unspoken communication.

Then there was a shuffle and a soft "Ahem" at the bedroom door, which drew their attention. They both looked over and saw Ryan standing there, looking awkward.

"Morning," the young CSI said with a shy smile. "You, um, you feeling OK, H?"

Horatio nodded. "I'll be fine, thank you," he said sincerely. "And Ryan, thank you for yesterday. Protecting Kyle… and for… everything."

"Not a problem," Ryan answered. "Anytime H. You know that."

Another figure appeared in the doorway as he heard his name being spoken. A reddish blond head of mussed up hair peeked around Ryan and smiled at his father. "Hey Dad. You alright?"

Horatio smiled back. "I'm OK, son."

Calleigh gave Ryan a stern look. "I thought you were going to wake me up at 3, what happened? You didn't get any sleep at all last night, did you?"

Ryan gave a brief shrug. "Nah. It was no big deal. Besides, I… I um… I wasn't tired," he tried to sound casual, but Calleigh saw through the stammers.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with all the cute stuffed animals out there, would it?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"No, of course not," he replied quickly.

"Hmm. I didn't think so." She answered with a grin.

"And let me tell you something," he continued good-naturedly. "A teddy bear, _that's_ a stuffed animal. A big fluffy Easter bunny, _that's_ a stuffed animal. Not those things in there. And there is nothing, and I mean _nothing,_ that is _cute_ about any of them."

"Okay, okay," Calleigh said, giggling lightly. "I hear you. And I thank you for keeping watch the whole night."

"You're welcome," Ryan replied with an exaggerated bow.

"Hey," Kyle piped up. "How about I see what we can do for some breakfast?"

Everyone readily agreed, and watched as the young man headed for the kitchen.

"So…" Ryan said, turning back to Calleigh. "What's the plan?"

***** **_**As always, reviews are welcome! Thanks for reading!**_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_**Back at the Crime Lab:**_

"So, Delko, you're sure this whack-job was acting alone?" Tripp asked in his deep drawl, his hands perched on his hips.

Since the shooting attack at the Hospital, the entire Lab, as well as the whole Department, had been buzzing, and on high alert. Everyone was edgy and wound-up. Processing the Hospital scene had taken absolute number one priority.

"Yeah, positive Frank," Eric replied. He was standing at a brightly lit lab table with dozens of full-color photographs spread out in front of him. "We've been over every piece of the evidence multiple times. This was just a poorly planned attack by a druggie with a demented grudge. This was not one of H's big-time known enemies. We're sure of it."

"Well, I guess that's good news," the big Texan answered. "The bad news is we still have four missing people. Horatio, Kyle, and two CSIs. Has anyone heard anything from them? Any idea where they went?"

Eric shook his head. "I got a text from Ryan shortly after the shooting saying they were going to be dropping off the radar for a while. I haven't heard anything since, and the AV Lab has been unable to locate any of their cell signals."

"Well, that's concerning," Frank said, a tone of worry in his voice.

"No, actually that's got to be on purpose. They know their cell phones all have GPS transmitters in them, so if there's no cell signal, they can't be tracked. Which means that they could literally be anywhere. Across the street, or 100 miles away. And thinking about it, being off the grid is probably the safest place for Horatio and Kyle right now. Don't worry Frank. I'm sure wherever they are, they're all fine. And as soon as they think it's safe, they'll make contact."

The big Detective huffed slightly. "I sure hope you're right." Tripp turned away and strode down the hall towards the elevators.

"Yeah, me too," Eric said softly, to the empty lab.

_**Back at the safe-house deep in the Everglades:**_

"_So, what's the plan?"_ Ryan had asked.

Kyle was rummaging around in the kitchen, and before long the smell of food was wafting through the cozy little house.

Calleigh stood up from the bed and walked towards Ryan in the doorway.

"First, let's all have something to eat, I'm starved," she said cheerfully. "Then we can talk about the plan."

"Ah, so you actually _have_ one?" He chided playfully.

"I do," she volleyed back with a bright smile. "But right now, I think the kitchen is the place to be."

"Awesome," he replied, and turned and headed for the origin of the wondrous food smells, his stomach already growling.

Calleigh heard some movement on the bed behind her, and turned around to see Horatio gently swinging his legs over and planting his feet on the floor. He winced slightly, and clenched his teeth. But then he took a deep breath and slowly stood up. He felt a tingle of light-headedness, but it quickly passed. He put one hand out and grabbed the headboard, steadying himself for a moment. Then he released his grip and took a few halting steps towards the lovely blonde in front of him.

"Well hey, look at you," she said, her voice warm with amazement. She hadn't expected him to actually be able to get up out of bed just yet, much less walk across the room. But she also knew better than to ever underestimate the tenacity of this wonderful red-head. She closed the distance between them, and flashed him a brilliant smile.

"Going somewhere, handsome?"

Horatio gave her a subdued smile. "Kitchen's the place to be. Thought I'd join you."

Calleigh reached out and put a soft hand on his bare chest, her touch tender and loving. He reveled in the feel of her warm fingers against his skin, such a small gesture, but it was almost intoxicating. He closed his eyes for just a brief moment before opening them again to see her green eyes sparkling at him. "You sure you're feeling OK?" She asked, a note of serious concern in her voice.

He held her gaze, then nodded in reply. "So far so good," he said softly.

Her warm smile returned immediately.

"Well then, right this way," she responded brightly as she turned and deftly slid her arm around his. Besides the fact that it was a convenient reason to touch him and be close to him, it was also an unobtrusive offer of assistance to him. And he certainly didn't object. It seemed that no matter how determined he was at times, the simplest of tasks rapidly drained his energy. So he was silently very grateful for the strength and support of her beside him as the two of them slowly made their way to the kitchen table.

After what felt like ages, he finally reached one of the kitchen chairs and sat down heavily, still careful to not lean back on anything.

The makeshift breakfast was served, and it was surprisingly good. Kyle had only had some canned goods and a few powdered staples to work with, but he had done an amazing and admirable job. Once the food was gone and the dishes cleared, the four gathered around the table and a quiet anticipation followed as everyone turned their attention to Calleigh.

"OK, here's what I have in mind," she said, her voice taking on a tone of confident command. "Ryan, I want you to take the Hummer and drive back into town. We'll need to make sure that you know the way out of here, as well as the way back. You need to keep your cell off until you're well back inside the city limits, so there won't be any way for anyone to track you. As soon as you're back in Miami, power up, call Eric, and find out everything you can about the shooter at the Hospital. I will stay here with Horatio and Kyle and make sure they stay safe. Once you have all the info, turn your cell back off and head back here. We can't make any further decisions until we have a lot more facts and know what kind of threat level we're dealing with."

Everyone at the table nodded their approval.

"Now, Ryan, I know you've been up all night," Calleigh continued gently. "So do you want to go now, or get a couple hours sleep first?"

"No, I'm OK, really," Ryan answered honestly. "I think it's much more important to get the info as quickly as possible. Once I get it and come back here, then, maybe I could catch a nap… in another room." He finished with a quick glance around at all the stuffed critters.

Calleigh grinned at his last statement. "Sure, OK. Then let's do that."

She handed him the keys to the big silver SUV. She sketched out a few maps, and within a half an hour, the perimeter alarm was deactivated and Ryan was headed out into the bright Florida sunshine.

"Be careful," Calleigh called from the front door as Ryan headed for the big barn.

"I will," came the confident reply.

Ryan shoved the heavily weathered barn door open and climbed into the driver's seat. The truck roared to life, and slowly backed out. One small turn, and Ryan gave Calleigh a thumbs up before pulling away. The big vehicle moved away from the house, slowly undulating along the uneven ruts of the ragged road, the tail lights getting smaller in the light waft of dust that the tires kicked up.

Calleigh watched the Hummer fade into the distance until she couldn't see any trace of it any more. She hoped with all her heart that Ryan would bring back some good news. She took a deep breath, closed the front door, and heard the reassuring 'chirp' of the control panel as she reset the perimeter alarm system.

Now, all they could do was wait…

_**** Note: As always, reviews are warmly welcomed! We could be getting closer to wrapping this story up folks… as long as there aren't any more 'surprises' waiting out there… *grin***_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Ryan followed the directions on the hand-drawn map in his hand, and it was just after lunchtime when he was finally well within the confines of the Miami City limits. He powered up his cell phone and speed-dialed Eric. The call was quickly answered and a barrage of excited questions came flooding over the phone line.

"_Ryan! Oh, man, thank God you called! Where are you? Where's Calleigh? Is everyone OK? How's H?"_

"Eric, calm down," Ryan answered, smiling. "Everyone's fine. H got a few extra little scrapes, but he's OK. Calleigh and Kyle are good too."

Eric breathed an audible sigh of relief. But then it was his turn to start answering questions.

"Eric, look, I need to know the details of the shooting at the hospital. What kind of threat are we dealing with?" Ryan asked, still navigating through traffic.

Delko quickly ran down all the details, and emphasized the fact that it was a one-off, coincidental, drug-fuelled event, and although Horatio still certainly had a lot of enemies out there, this time it seemed that the coast was clear. The imminent threat had been eliminated. The group could come out of hiding, and H could go home.

"That is some very, very good news, my man," Ryan responded with a relieved smile. Then he took a deep breath. "But I still think we should proceed with extreme caution, especially over the phone. I'll fill you in with all the details from our end another time, but for right now I'm going to drop back off the grid again. But don't worry Eric. Everything's good. Expect a call again tomorrow, about the same time. OK?"

"Yeah, I agree, good thinking. I'll be looking for your call tomorrow." Eric answered. There was a pause, and then he added, "Hey, Ryan… you sure you're alright? You sound… I don't know… kinda wiped out. Are you really OK?"

"OK, yeah, you got me," came the good-natured reply. "I'm a little short on sleep. But I'm fine. Really. Nothing to worry about. Catch you tomorrow."

"All right. But you make sure you call me, Wolfe," Eric said seriously. "Whenever, wherever you need me, I'm there. You keep me in the loop, OK?"

"You got it."

Ryan quickly ended the call and powered off his cell phone as he made a U-turn and headed back towards the City limits. He realized that it would probably be fine to leave the phone on, but like he said to Eric, he was still playing it safe. With the relief of the new knowledge that the immediate danger had passed, the heavy hands of exhaustion began to weigh on his shoulders. He headed along the Interstate and cranked up the AC, wanting the chilly cold to help keep him sharp and alert. He thought about pulling off one of the exits and grabbing a jumbo-sized Starbucks, but there was no time for that. He felt more compelled to get back to the safe house and relay the information he had. He knew Calleigh would be on pins and needles waiting for his return.

Soon civilization was well behind him and there was nothing but swamp droning past him on both sides. He rubbed his neck and adjusted his position in the big leather driver's seat several times. After a while he exited the main highway and began weaving his way along the back roads, frequently consulting the map Calleigh had drawn for him. By his rough calculations, he should be back at the safe house in another 45 minutes or so. The afternoon sun was still glowing brightly, but just beginning to start its slow descent toward the horizon. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, willing the fatigue away. His mind began to drift. He looked out the side window, peering across the Everglades, and thought how primitively beautiful it was. Raw nature, in all its glory. He saw a large blue heron launch itself into the air and majestically take flight, its wide wing span of gray-blue feathers casting a graceful silhouette against the natural green backdrop.

Realizing that his mind was wandering, he forced himself back to the task at hand. He lightly shook his head, and quickly rubbed his tired eyes. Blinking several times, he forced himself to refocus on the gravel road ahead of him… and he almost didn't see the danger in time.

His tired brain took a few extra milliseconds to recognize and respond as he caught his breath and barely had time to utter a few swear words… He slammed on the brakes and wrenched the wheel hard to the left, careening off the coarse gravel road and into the muddy swamp. Cascades of murky water splashed in every direction as the heavy SUV plowed through it, finally coming to rest well off the road. The big Hummer quickly settled into the muck, the water level rising a few inches up above the base of the doors. Ryan heard a thick sucking sound as the vehicle sank even lower into the slog…

_Gotta get out of here… _his mind raced, thinking the vehicle was somehow going to sink completely. But the door was jammed shut. He thrashed and flailed against it, but it refused to budge.

With his adrenaline pumping, he rolled down the driver's window and climbed clumsily out, landing with a loud splash in the greenish black water. He immediately recovered and got to his feet, and sloshed his way to the relative safety of the elevated gravel road, heart racing and lungs gasping for air.

Now soaking wet, he took a moment and forced himself to calm down. He stood there in the middle of the road and looked around. The Hummer was nearly half-submerged in a slimy bog, but appeared to be sinking no further. He looked back behind him, and saw the cause of this whole mess was still there, glaring at him defiantly…

The 12-foot alligator that had bolted up onto the road sat there with its jaws gaping open, hissing menacingly, tail twitching. Ryan immediately wondered why he had even swerved to avoid damn thing, as he could now very easily be its dinner. He backed up a few more paces, knowing full well that he could not outrun this monster if it decided to charge after him. But the Jurassic looking beast thankfully turned back the way it had come, and slipped back into the swamp and out of sight.

"Holy shit," Ryan muttered to himself. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, but it was dripping wet due to his rather sloppy exit from the Hummer. It had been rendered unusable.

Looking back at the half-drowned SUV, he saw that he had his work cut out for him. He began to click through the immediate tasks in his head… winch, cable, tools… He groaned, knowing this was not going to be easy. But this was his only means of transportation, and he had to get back to the safe house, no matter what. Quickly glancing up at the sky, he muttered a few more curses at the realization that he didn't have a whole lot of time to dawdle. He was not thrilled with the idea of milling around out here after dark with that damn gator and several of his buddies trolling around. He had better get busy…

He put his hand on his weapon and looked around cautiously before wading back into the mushy water towards the Hummer…

_**Back at the safe house:**_

Calleigh pulled back the corner of the small curtain at the front window and peered outside, seeing nothing but the empty rutted road. It was probably the twentieth time she had done that same thing in the last hour. The late afternoon sun was just beginning to show some hints of pastel shades in the sky.

Horatio had been on his feet for a little while, insisting on helping Kyle with the dirty dishes. But fatigue quickly took over and he had reluctantly returned to the kitchen chair, leaning heavily against the tabletop. He was getting that exhausted and drained feeling again, but fought to stay awake for the time being. He could sense Calleigh's rising tension level. Things were _not_ going as planned.

She resumed her nervous, unsettled pacing.

"Calleigh…" he began, but got no farther.

"He should've been back by now," she said quickly, her voice heavy with concern.

"I'm sure he's fine," Horatio replied, trying his best to sound reassuring.

Calleigh looked back out the window front window again. "I hope so. I just have a bad feeling that something's terribly wrong…"

_**Reviews always welcome! Next chapter will be up very soon… Thanks for reading!**_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was well after dark when Calleigh saw the distant headlights approaching. They were well off in the distance, but she saw the two small amber beams bobbing and bouncing their way along the rutted road, and she immediately swung into full alert mode.

Earlier in the evening, she had finally convinced Horatio to go to bed and get some much needed sleep, and Kyle was sprawled behind her in the oversized living room chair, softly snoring. She moved quickly to Kyle and shook him awake.

"Kyle, there's someone coming," she said urgently. "I need you to go be with your Dad, keep quiet, and stay down."

The boy snapped fully awake, realizing the gravity of the situation. And with a quick nod, he did as he was asked.

Calleigh pulled her weapon from its holster and approached the front door, cautiously peering outside at the very edge of the window at the approaching vehicle. She strained her eyes to try and make out any kind of details in the inky blackness. She could vaguely make out some kind of small yellowish running lights… a truck maybe? The vehicle looked large enough to be the Hummer, with Ryan at the wheel...

But no. The Hummer had a barrage of off-road search lamps and fog lights. If it was Ryan, the front of that thing would be lit up like a Christmas tree. But there were only two small, anemic-looking headlight beams. So it wasn't the Hummer. Which meant it was probably a threat. And she was the only defense between it and the two men inside the house who were depending on her.

She heard the soft, muffled stirrings in the bedroom as Kyle woke his father and told him what was going on.

The entire time Ryan had been gone, her mind had been racing, tumbling through every scenario possible as to what could have happened to him, and what sort of danger they could all be in. Well, now her worst fears had been realized, and that danger was here, barreling towards the front door.

She double-checked the perimeter security system, knowing that the second the approaching truck broke the furthest beam, the entire front of the house would be bathed in white mercury-vapor floodlights. It would temporarily blind the occupants of the vehicle, giving her a distinct advantage. And the quiet night air would be pierced with a shrill siren, further adding to the disorientation of whoever was in the truck…

She watched the vehicle drive closer, showing no signs of slowing down…

She flicked the safety off on her weapon, and clutched it firmly as she placed her other hand on the front door knob.

"Kyle, Horatio, both of you stay put," Calleigh said with hushed intensity. "Things are gonna get a little loud and crazy in a minute…"

The truck drove closer, and appeared to slow just a bit, but then it broke the invisible beam of the security system. And all hell broke loose…

The truck was immediately flooded with brilliant white light and a sharp pulsing siren began shrieking at maximum volume. Clearly, the driver was not expecting it, and the truck violently sashayed back and forth a few times before slamming on the brakes and sliding to a gravel-spraying halt several yards beyond the front porch.

Calleigh seized the opportunity and yanked open the front door, charging outside and pointing her weapon aggressively at the vehicle.

"Police, freeze!" she yelled as she burst from the doorway, but then she froze in mid-stride herself at the sight that greeted her. In the flood of light, she could see that it WAS a silver Hummer. Then she also saw the pale white palms of two male sized hands pressed firmly up against the windshield. She stood there for a couple seconds, her brain rapidly processing everything.

It was the Hummer… It was Ryan!

Gasping with relief, she lowered her gun, clicked on the safety, and tapped the button on the small remote clipped to her belt. The brilliant white lights stayed on but the howling siren was silenced. The hands on the windshield went down and the door of the Hummer slowly opened, and a familiar looking figure eased out of the driver's seat.

"Ryan!" Calleigh breathed as she started towards the SUV. But she was stopped in her tracks again as her friend stepped out from behind the door. Ryan's hair was quite mussed, standing straight out in some places, with small leaves stuck in it. His clothes were muddy and still half-wet, plastered to his body in random sections, looking very uncomfortable.

"Hey, Cal," he managed to say. He looked absolutely wiped out.

"Ryan… Oh my God…" she stammered. "What on earth…"

She looked over at the Hummer. The entire front third of the SUV was covered in dried mud. The only lights working were the two main headlights, stubbornly shining through a hazy brown film of dried muck. Hairy strands of green slimy grunge hung from the bumper and grill guard.

"What on earth happened?" She finally managed to ask. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said tiredly. "Had a little run in with a 14 foot Florida resident. Swerved. Almost buried the Hummer in the swamp. Took me a while to get the damn thing back on the road. But I'm alright."

"Well come on inside," came the incredibly relieved response. "Let's get you cleaned up."

She smiled as Ryan closed the Hummer door and followed her into the house. The exhausted man sat down heavily at the kitchen table.

Realizing that all was OK, Horatio and Kyle emerged from the bedroom, and joined Ryan at the table.

Calleigh shut down the outside security lights and reset the alarm system, just to be safe.

"You don't have to do that, you know," Ryan said thickly. "I talked to Eric. Threat was a one-off. Everything's OK. H can go home. We all can."

"Oh that is good news," Cal replied with a bright smile. "But why didn't you call for help getting the Hummer going again?"

Ryan reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out his cell phone. He held it up, and a tiny thin stream of beige-looking water streamed from one corner and made a small puddle on the table.

"I knew I had to get back here, I had to let you know," Ryan continued tiredly. "I knew there was no other way. I just had to get my ass back here."

"Oh, Ryan, I could just hug you," Calleigh said warmly, her voice heavy with gratitude.

But the young man held up his hand. "Ugh, I wish you wouldn't. Right now… what I really need… is a shower, and some sleep. Preferably in that order. And I don't care about the dead animals. I'm gonna sleep right there." He pointed to the big leather couch along the back wall of the living room, which had an enormous elk's head hanging over it.

"You sure?" Calleigh asked questioningly.

"Yep."

"OK, you got it. We'll all regroup and head out of here in the morning." Cal answered.

As Ryan wandered off to a hot shower, Kyle retreated back to his favorite comfy chair and bedded in for the night. Which left Calleigh and Horatio sitting beside each other at the table.

"Are you OK sweetheart?" he asked quietly, clasping his hands in front of him. His crystal blue eyes clouded with concern.

Calleigh closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her shoulders sag as she exhaled. She looked over at him and held his worried gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine handsome," she said, smiling reassuringly. "I'm just so glad to know that you and Kyle are safe."

"Well, left up to you, I knew we always would be."

She flashed a tired but radiant smile.

"But you know," Horatio continued gently. "Ryan is not the only one who needs some sleep."

Calleigh smiled again and nodded.

Ryan emerged from the shower a few minutes later, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He said a few mumbled words to Calleigh as he flopped onto the sofa and burrowed himself into the blankets she had put there for him. He was fast asleep within seconds.

A few minutes later, Calleigh was snuggled comfortably beneath Horatio, their arms warmly wrapped around each other.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered against her neck.

"Mmmm, thank you," she hummed with a tender smile. She turned and softly kissed his forehead, then gently stroked her hand through his hair and nuzzled against him as they both drifted off to sleep.

Everyone in the house slept deeply and peacefully… knowing that tomorrow they could all go home…

_**A/N: OK folks… we're heading into the conclusion of this story… Horatio is finally going home, and Calleigh will be right there with him… *grin* As Always, REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!**_


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